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Moscow says global nature of Magnitsky Act prompts US to undermine relations with world

Using human rights as a pretext for exerting pressure on states the US does not favor seems to be a long-standing tradition of Washington, according to the Russian diplomat
US President Barack Obama AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
US President Barack Obama
© AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. A decision to make the Magnitsky Act global by incumbent US President Barack Obama prompts the US to undermine relations with the entire world, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Tuesday.

"The law on military spending contains a provision vesting the US president with authority to impose sanctions against citizens of any countries involved in human rights violations," she noted. "Barack Obama has thus made the anti-Russian Sergei Magnitsky Act global, jeopardizing relations not only with Russia but with the entire world."

"Using human rights as a pretext for exerting pressure on disfavored governments is a long-standing tradition of Washington’s foreign policy," the diplomat went on to say. "However, efforts to impose ‘American-style democracy around the globe have now become the Pentagon’s competence."

On December 23, US President Barack Obama signed into law a bill, which authorizes sanctions against other countries’ citizens who are, according to Washington, involved in corruption of human rights violations. The law extends the Manitsky Act globally.