The Magnitsky Act will apply not only to Russia but also to other countries where human rights are violated. According to the newspaper Kommersant, this provision is contained in the version of the bill approved by the International Committee of the U.S. Senate.
This version is different from the version previously approved by the Committee of the House of Representatives. The previous version of the bill would impose sanctions only on officials from Russia.
In addition, the bill includes another change. The new version of the law allows the State Department and the Ministry of Finance not to publish the names of officials, against whom sanctions have been imposed. The White House has long insisted on this and, in the end, the International Committee of the Senate adopted a compromise.
For the law to be adopted, it requires support by the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. After that, the document will have to be signed by President Barack Obama. When the vote will take place is still unknown.
If the law is approved, a number of Russian officials involved in the death of a lawyer Magnitsky will be denied entry into the country. In addition, the accounts of all of them in America will be frozen.
One of the “favorites” in the group of candidate countries on the application of the "Magnitsky law" is Azerbaijan. Over the past six months, official Baku has been subjected to withering criticism for human rights violations. Visiting the three South Caucasian countries in early June, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid special attention to this problem only when visiting Azerbaijan.
The so-called "Magnitsky list" was compiled by Senator Benjamin Cardin. It has got a few dozen people, including seniors from the Russian Interior Ministry, investigators and judges.
The lawyer of Hermitage Capital Foundation Sergey Magnitsky died in prison in 2009. His colleagues and relatives believe he was arrested for disclosing the scheme of embezzlement of budget funds totaling 5.4 billion rubles. Magnitsky claimed that the money was stolen by the security forces. -0 -
Politics
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An appeal has been filed against the arrest of journalist Shahnaz Beylergizi, her lawyer Bakhtiyar Hajiyev told the Turan agency on Friday.
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On February 6, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with U.S. Vice President James Vance in Washington. "Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with U.S. Vice President James Vance at the White House in Washington. During the meeting, issues related to bilateral relations as well as regional affairs were discussed," reported Pashinyan's press service.
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By a decree of the head of state dated February 7, Anar Aliyev was appointed as the Minister of Labor and Social Protection. Prior to this, he held the position of Deputy Minister.
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Afghan Sadygov, the head of the Azerbaijani website Azel.TV, who was arrested in Georgia at the request of Baku, ended his dry hunger strike on February 6, which he had started on February 2. However, he is still refusing food and is only drinking water. His hunger strike has now lasted 142 days, said his wife, Sevinc Sadygova, in an interview with the Turan agency on February 7. The Georgian Center for Social Justice (CSJ), which defends Afghan Sadygov's rights, issued a statement expressing concern about his condition.
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