The European Parliament's sanctions against a group of Russian officials over the death of a whistleblower lawyer are an intrusion into Russia's domestic affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Glushko said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee voted unanimously to ban entry to the EU for 60 officials allegedly tied to the death of Sergei Magnitsky last year. The full house is expected to vote on it next month.
"It is a rude intrusion into Russia's domestic affairs," Glushko said at a meeting of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee.
On Wednesday, committee chairman Konstantin Kosachyov warned the move "may have negative consequences for Russia-EU relations."
An official comment from the Foreign Ministry is due in a few hours, Glushko said.
He described the move as politicized and said that it showed no respect for Russia's legal system.
Magnitsky, who was defending UK investment company Hermitage Capital Management against tax evasion charges, died in a Moscow prison last November after being refused medical treatment for pancreatitis.
His death triggered an international row amid concerns that his imprisonment was politically motivated.
MOSCOW, November 25 (RIA Novosti)
