Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Political War is On: Russian Federation Council unanimously approves anti-Magnitsky bill, bans US adoptions

The Santos Republic

The Russian Federation Council approved on Wednesday a law prohibiting the adoption of Russian children by Americans. The bill was previously supported by Russia’s State Duma in response to the Magnitsky Act.

All 143 Federation Council members voted for the law, an Interfax correspondent reports.

The bill, dubbed the Dima Yakovlev Law, bars Americans involved in violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms from visiting Russia. Their financial and other assets shall be impounded, and they shall be prohibited from concluding property and investment deals in Russia.

The law also imposes a visa ban and asset freeze on US officials who violate the rights of Russian citizens abroad, and bans the US sponsorship of NGOs that operate and engaged in political activity in Russia, which receive donations and property from U.S. citizens or organizations, as well as the work of US citizens in Russian NGOs.

As the bill was passing through the Lower House, it was also amended with a provision that it can be applied to any nation that violates the rights of Russians, not just the USA.

Russia prepared the Dima Yakovlev bill as retaliation against the so-called US Magnitsky Act, named in honor of a whistle-blowing lawyer who died in jail before going on trial.

In addition, the Russian Federation Council adopted a resolution, “On Measures to Upgrade the Mechanism of Child Adoption by Russian Citizens.”