Our response to the "Magnitsky law"

In response to the so-called hard version of the Magnitsky Law, which was adopted by the US Senate, Russia at the legislative level can also respond by adopting a corresponding law. There are two possible options here.

The first option: adopt amendments to the already existing law “On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation”, which will restrict the entry into Russia of foreign citizens, including US citizens, associated with violations of the rights of Russian citizens abroad. These amendments were formulated in June last year and introduced by representatives of all factions. They are currently in the Committee on Constitutional Legislation. Under these amendments, the accounts of these individuals in Russian banks and their foreign branches may also be frozen, as well as an embargo imposed on their transactions with property and investments.

The second option would be to expand the proposed amendments to cover those U.S. citizens who have engaged in widespread and established human rights violations outside the United States, namely in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and other countries. As is known, during military operations in these countries, actions were carried out that led to mass deaths of the civilian population. Established human rights violations recognized by international human rights organizations also occurred at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), as well as in secret CIA prisons in Europe and in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, in Afghanistan at the military base in the city of Bagram, and were associated with the use of torture, prohibited by both international conventions and American law. The practice of secret prisons by US intelligence services on the territory of other states was condemned in many states and became the subject of special consideration by PACE.

Thus, we also have a tough version of Russia’s legislative response to the so-called “Magnitsky law.” A number of State Duma deputies are in favor of this option. I would also like to recall the statement of Prime Minister Medvedev that Russia may not limit itself to the adoption of this type of legislation and may respond asymmetrically, that is, take such steps in other areas that may be sensitive for the United States.