France Not Planning Magnitsky Act Analog

By The Moscow Times

Nov. 25, 2012

France has no plans to adopt a Magnitsky act similar to the one recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, the French Ambassador to Russia said Sunday.

The ambassador's comments come a month after the European Parliament recommended EU member states adopt legislation that would introduce sanctions including visa bans on Russian officials implicated in the prison death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009.

But Ambassador Jean de Gliniasty told Interfax on Sunday that Paris had no intention of adopting Magnitsky-inspired legislation.

"As far as I know, such things [sanctions on Russian officials] aren't planned in France," de Gliniasty said, admitting that certain Russian laws "don't coincide with our criteria for a law-abiding government."

Russia's Foreign Ministry has threatened U.S. officials with countermeasures after the House passed its version of the Magnitsky act on Nov. 16.

For the bill to become law, the House must reach an agreement with the Senate on a final version, and U.S. President Barack Obama must sign the document.

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