EU Strives to Strengthen Its Role as 'Global Human Rights Actor' With Sanctions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European Parliament members on Thursday adopted a resolution calling for the establishment of the bloc's joint sanctions mechanism to punish state and non-state actors involved in human rights violations, the parliament's press service said.

"In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament calls for a new sanctions regime to be established at EU level to impose asset freezes and visa bans on individuals involved in grave human rights violations. The list should include state and non-state actors who have contributed, physically, financially or through acts of systemic corruption, to such abuse and crimes, worldwide," the statement read.

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The parliament also decided the new sanctions mechanism, which it said would strengthen the EU's role as a "global human rights actor," should be named after Russian national Sergei Magnitsky.

According to the statement, the sanctions regime is "inspired" by the US Magnitsky Act, which was adopted back in 2012 after Magnitsky's death while in custody in a Russian prison and claims that his death might have resulted from mistreatment. The investigation, however, concluded that the tax accountant, who was suffering from diabetes, died of natural causes.