The U.S. National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) on Wednesday urged Congress to oppose projected legislation introducing visa sanctions against Russian officials allegedly linked to lawyer Sergei Magnitsky’s death.
A group of influential U.S. senators, including former Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, proposed in mid-March to introduce a blacklist of Russian officials allegedly linked to Hermitage Capital lawyer Magnitsky’s death, in a Moscow pre-trial detention center in November 2009, in exchange for the cancellation of the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
“The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act is seriously flawed,” NFTC President Bill Reinsch said in a statement released Wednesday. “This legislation would harm U.S. relations with Russia and many other nations, and would jeopardize the significant benefits arising from Russian concessions during its WTO accession negotiations.”
“This legislation, if passed, would entail significant diplomatic and political consequences. For one, as it is written, it mandates sanctions regarding potential human rights violations beyond Russian persons responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky,” said Richard Sawaya, director of USA*Engage, a coalition of businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations established by the NFTC. “The legislation lacks any clear process to determine what constitutes ‘responsibility’ or define ‘gross human rights violations.’”
“Additionally, Members of the House and Senate would be authorized to propose persons to be included on the list, a process almost certain to confuse further domestic politics with international relations,” Sawaya continued.
“The bills also extend the scope of sanctions to ‘agents’ – an undefined term that is an open invitation to litigation. There is no warrant for this legislation, as the Administration has already moved to enact appropriate measures regarding Sergei Magnitsky, and human rights generally. We, therefore, strongly urge Congress to vote against the Magnitsky Act.”
Magnitsky was arrested on tax evasion charges in November 2008, just days after accusing police investigators in a $230 million tax refund fraud, and died after almost a year in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center in Moscow.
