Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Tussle Brews In Washington Over Russia Sanctions List

Radio Free Europe

A tussle is brewing in Washington over who will be included on a U.S. list of sanctioned Russian officials to be published next month.

Officials with the State Department are reportedly advocating steps that would shorten the politically sensitive “Magnitsky list,” while members of Congress and NGOs who support a more sweeping list are vowing to push back.

A list of sanctioned officials is required by a law Congress passed in late 2012 designed to punish Russian officials implicated in the prosecution and death of Moscow lawyer and whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky.

The 37-year-old died in jail in 2009 after he was repeatedly denied medical care and beaten. He had been arrested after implicating officials from Russian government ministries in a complex scheme to steal $230 million from state coffers. His death became an international symbol of Russia’s rule-of-law and human rights transgressions.

In addition to slapping visa bans and asset freezes on officials connected to the Magnitsky case, the law also mandates sanctions against Russian officials who have committed other perceived gross rights violations. Those sanctions could deepen the law’s impact on U.S.-Russian relations, which have sunk in the wake of its passage.

Anticipating a furious reaction from Moscow and concerned over the legislation’s potential impact on relations, the Obama administration opposed the measures.

President Barack Obama now has until April 13 to publish the list of sanctioned officials in the federal register. He has the option of keeping some names classified for “vital national security” reasons.

The White House has given no indication of who it is considering. A list endorsed by members of Congress of officials implicated in the Magnitsky case contained about 60 names.