“Kirk calls for swift passage of Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Legislation denies US entry for human rights abusers and corrupt officials; makes significant acts of corruption a sanctionable offense,” the statement published on Kirk’s website read.
The proposed Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act authorizes the US president to impose sanctions on any foreign national the president determines to be responsible for significant corruption, extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.
McCain and Cardin introduced a legislation expanding the Russia-specific sanctions in the Magnitsky Act to apply globally on Wednesday.
Cosponsors of the bill are Senators Dick Durbin, Roger Wicker, Jeanne Shaheen, Marco Rubio, Ed Markey, Mark Kirk, and Richard Blumenthal.
In December 2012, the US Senate passed the Magnitsky Act, which allowed Washington to deny visas and freeze the assets of Russian officials allegedly involved in the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. There are currently 34 names on the list.
Magnitsky died in a pre-trial detention center after almost a year after he had been accused of conspiracy and abatement in serious company tax evasion by a group of individuals.
Russia has responded to the Magnitsky Act by issuing its own blacklist, which includes US officials linked to human rights violations at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
