Moscow expects Washington to minimize negative effects of Magnitsky Act
MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax) - Moscow expects the U.S. administration to do all it can to ensure that the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act the U.S. House of Representatives passed on Friday should not be detrimental to relations between the two countries, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official said.
"We hope the U.S. executive branch will learn the necessary lessons and do all it can so that its [the act's] enforcement should not cause damage to Russian-U.S. relations," Russian Foreign Ministry envoy for human rights, democracy and the rule of law Konstantin Dolgov told Interfax on Saturday.
"The bill itself cannot be called other than unfriendly and provocative. This care about human rights is undoubtedly hypocritical, because this act is aimed at violating human rights in relation to Russian citizens," he said.
If this act becomes a law, it will grossly violate Russian citizens' rights and the fundamental principles of the presumption of innocence, on which Washington declares all the U.S. judicial system is based, he said.
"I would also point out that this bill is hypocritical in that it is sort of embedded in a bill repealing the absolutely outdated Jackson-Vanik Amendment. It is the U.S. business that is primarily interested in repealing this amendment. The U.S. lawmakers are accommodating U.S. businessmen's proposals but at the same time want to combine the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and a new discriminatory act in relation to Russia," Dolgov said.
Russia has provided the U.S. with explanations on the investigation into Sergei Magnitsky's death, but the U.S. has ignored this information, he said.
"Certainly, such politicized acts do not promote constructive relations, and we have said already that Russia will give an appropriate answer based on international law," he said.
He, however, did not specify particular steps that Russia could take if the Magnitsky Act is made into law.
"We have said that an appropriate response will be given, and I think this is enough at this stage, especially considering that, formally speaking, the bill has not yet been enacted, because the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress is supposed to vote on it yet," Dolgov said.
va
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