Moscow Decries U.S. Move to Deny Visas

The Wall Street Journal. By RICHARD BOUDREAUX

MOSCOW—Russia denounced a U.S. decision to deny visas to dozens of officials suspected of involvement in the imprisonment and death of a corruption-fighting lawyer and warned that it would act to protect “the rights of Russian citizens from illegal actions by foreign states.”

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the travel restrictions, imposed this week without formal notification to Russian authorities, had created “a strong irritant” in the two countries’ relations. “The Russian side will not leave such unfriendly measures unanswered,” the ministry said in a brief statement.

Russia’s initial response to the visa ban, which U.S. State Department officials disclosed to American lawmakers this week and confirmed publicly Tuesday, was otherwise muted. The ministry statement didn’t specify any retaliatory measures, and senior Russian officials refrained from commenting.

The Obama administration’s action brings U.S. pressure to bear in a landmark human-rights case in Russia—the death of Sergei Magnitsky of untreated illnesses after 11 months in jail. The restrictions are also an effort to head off Senate legislation that would not only impose a travel ban, but also freeze any American assets held by officials involved in the case. They include judges, prosecutors, prison officials and others from Russia’s Interior Ministry and Federal Security Service.

In a memo to lawmakers, the State Department said the more sweeping restrictions backed by some senators would risk undermining President Barack Obama’s policy of reset with Russia. It might jeopardize U.S. efforts to win Russian support for sanctions against Iran, North Korea and Libya and could also imperil U.S. military transit routes through Russia to Afghanistan, the memo said.

Mr. Magnitsky died in November 2009 at age 37. He had testified in court that senior police officials stole documents from the hedge fund he worked for, Hermitage Capital, and used them fraudulently to take possession of millions of dollars in tax refunds. He was arrested on tax evasion charges by the same police officials he had accused.

Russia’s Investigative Committee concluded this month that Mr. Magnitsky had died of heart disease and hepatitis. It opened criminal probes against a doctor and a prison official who allegedly neglected his health. Supporters of the lawyer say that senior investigators who kept him in poor condition had escaped legal proceedings.

The foreign ministry said in its statement Wednesday that the U.S. was “well aware of efforts by the Russian authorities to investigate the Magnitsky tragedy fully and thoroughly.”

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