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State Duma speaker and the leaders of all factions have submitted to Duma a draft law as response to Magnitsky Act

Information on the draft law has been placed on the State Duma website

 MOSCOW, December 10 (Itar-Tass) — State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin and the leaders of all factions have submitted a draft law, which responds to the U.S. Magnitsky Act.

Information on the draft law has been placed on the State Duma website.

Naryshkin said on Monday that the document could be debated in the State Duma this week.

The draft law envisions the ban on entering Russia by U.S. citizens, “who committed crimes towards Russian citizens staying abroad or who were involved in committing crimes by being invested with authority and contributed to freeing officials, who committed crimes against Russian citizens, involved in abducting Russian citizens, imposed sentence upon Russian citizens and illegally persecuted Russian citizens”.

In addition, the draft law also envisions the arrest of financial assets in Russia and the ban on any deals with immobility for U.S. citizens, who are considered personas non grata in Russia.

The list of U.S. citizens, who are banned to enter the territory of Russia, is being made up and changed by the executive authorities and the Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner. He will report the houses of the Federal Assembly at least annually. If the law is approved, it will come into effect on January 1, 2013.

Naryshkin said the document could be debated in the State Duma this week.

On December 6, the U.S. Congress approved a bill on the normalisation of trade relations with Russia. The bill also includes the Magnitsky Act. Earlier, the document was approved by the House of Representatives. Now it is submitted to President Barack Obama for signing.

The Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal Act of 2012 gives both countries a permanent status of U.S. normal trade partner.

However, the document includes the Magnitsky Act, which is related to human rights and corruption in Russia. The Act envisions sanctions against officials of Russian power-yielded agencies and judges involved in the death of the lawyer of Hermitage Capital Management in November 2009.

The Russian executive and legislative authorities reiterated that Russia would give a response to the Magnitsky Act. “We should tell hyperactive opponents of the normal development of Russian-American relations: their efforts look pitiful. However, they should react to Russia,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier.

Russia is entitled to adopt its Magnitsky list towards Americans, who violate human rights, secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev told journalists on Sunday, December 9. “We will take a corresponding decision. We are entitled to approve such documents towards Americans,” he stressed.