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OSCE Parliamentary Assembly passes Magnitsky resolution

Russian lawmakers voted against the resolution

COPENHAGEN, July 8 (Itar-Tass) —— The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) passed the so-called Magnitsky resolution at its 21st annual session in Monaco on Sunday.

The document, entitled Rule of Law in Russia: Case of Sergei Magnitsky, “welcomes that the US State Department, the UK Foreign Office and the Dutch Parliament decided in 2011 to impose visa bans on some 60 Russian officials believed to be involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky as a result of the Russian authorities' inaction.”

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has called on national parliaments of member countries to “take action to impose visa sanctions and asset freezes on persons responsible for the false arrest, torture, denial of medical care and death of Sergei Magnitsky.”

The resolution urges participating states “to place targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for gross human rights violations against people seeking to expose illegal activity by Russian officials.” The document also supports the resolutions of the European Parliament “calling on the European Union Member States to consider imposing an EU entry ban for Russian officials involved in this case, and encourages EU law enforcement agencies to co-operate in freezing bank accounts and other assets of these Russian officials in all EU Member States.”

Apart from that, the Parliamentary Assembly said it “encourages the Russian authorities to co-operate with international institutions in investigating Mr. Magnitsky’s death in custody and to issue a public report.”

Russian lawmakers voted against the resolution.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has 320 lawmakers from 55 European, American and Asian countries.

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