MOSCOW, March 20 (Itar-Tass) – The majority in the Russian government were against the so-called Dima Yakovlev Law, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Wednesday.
“A lot, the majority in the government were against that law. At least the form it was being passed in,” he said at a meeting with students of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. He stressed, however that once the lawmakers passed that regulatory document, it must be implemented.
“If the attitude of people to that decision by the lawmakers is negative in the country, then we will have other lawmakers at the next elections,” he explained. According to him, the replacement of government authorities is natural if these authorities make decisions that don’t match the moods in the society. However, Dvorkovich expressed confidence that it is necessary “to do all so that in the real life we could settle problems connected with the protection of children without the necessity of passing such tough laws”.
The Dima Yakovlev Law was signed at the end of 2012 by President Vladimir Putin in response to the Magnitsky Act passed by the United States. The law is named after a 1.5-year-old boy adopted from Russia who died through the negligence of his adoptive father.
The Russian anti-Magnitsky act slaps visa and financial restrictions on those persons “who made the decision to ban the entry of Russian citizens and arrest their assets on motives of their involvement in the violation of human rights”.
A temporary ban on the activity of non-profit organizations engaged in political activity in Russia on American grants was among other retaliatory measures. However, these non-profit organizations get a chance to resume activity in Russia if they give up their financing from the US.