Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Warning that Russia’s ‘childish’ NGO bill will harm civil society

Amnesty

Amnesty International has called on Russian parliamentarians to reject a bill it believes will have a chilling effect on Russian human rights defenders and civil society if it becomes law.

The so-called “Dima Yakovlev” bill introduces, among other things, further severe restrictions on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Russia, and bans the adoption of Russian children by US citizens. It is set to go through its third reading in the Russian Parliament’s Lower Chamber – the Duma – tomorrow.

The bill is named after a Russian child who died after adoption in the US and was drafted as a response to the Magnitsky Act, passed in the US this month, which introduced sanctions on alleged Russian human rights violators. Sergei Magnitsky was a lawyer who died in Russian custody and has become symbol of Russia’s violations of human rights.