KOMMERSANT (Russia)
WASHINGTON – The authors of the Magnitsky Law in the United States, which forbids the US from granting visas to Russians who have been tied to a case of a whistleblower who died in police custody, are complaining that the law has been inadequetely enforced.
Senator Benjamin Cardin from Maryland and Congressman James McGovern from Massachusetts are demanding that the number of Russian government officials banned from the US be expanded. If not, they say they will introduce new, stricter legislation, the Russian daily Kommersant reports.
Magnitsky’s Law is named for Sergei Magnitsky, an accountant and auditor who was jailed under what many believe to be fraudulent tax-evasion charges and then died in prison. Human rights activists say Magnitsky was tortured, beaten and denied medical care while in prison.
[rebelmouse-image 27086531 alt=”” original_size=”320×480″ expand=1] Magnitsky’s grave (Dmitry Rozhkov)
The reason the US legislators called for a stricter interpretation of the Magnitsky Law is that Russian investigators have recently declared their investigation into Magnistky’s death closed, saying that they could find no evidence of wrongdoing, Kommersant reports.
The Russian government had reacted to the Magnitsky Law by passing a law forbidding American citizens from adopting Russian children.
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