Magnitsky Bill

MOSCOW — In the first and perhaps only opportunity this month for the U.S. Congress to weigh in on recent events in Russia and the implications for U.S. policy, a Senate committee will debate a bill Wednesday that would impose sanctions on Russian officials linked to human rights abuses. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who is to preside over a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the state of human rights and rule of law in Russia, co-sponsored the bill along with Sens.

THE ADOPTION OF children from abroad is fraught with emotions, and adoptions from Russia are no exception. Russia is the third-most favored place for adoptions by U.S. families, after China and Ethiopia. The adoptions have often led to bruised feelings of national pride. At the same time, many of the children enjoy a better life than if they had languished in Russia's grim institutions. It was with an eye toward improving the process of such adoptions that the United States and Russia approved a bilateral agreement in November.

MOSCOW — Russia is prepared to retaliate if the U.S. Congress passes the Magnitsky bill , which would freeze assets of and deny U.S. visas to Russian officials linked to human rights abuses, President Vladimir Putin's top foreign adviser said Tuesday. "We would very much like to avoid it," Yuri Ushakov said. "But if this new anti-Russian law is adopted, then of course that demands measures in response. " Ushakov's comments came in an otherwise upbeat briefing on a meeting between Putin and President Obama set for...

MOSCOW — The U.S. Senate on Thursday repealed a trade sanction imposed 38 years ago to force the Soviet Union to allow Jews and other religious minorities to emigrate, replacing it with a modern-day punishment for human rights abuse that has enraged Russian officials. The old law, one of the last vestiges of the Cold War, was called the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, named after a U.S. senator and a representative. The new law, passed 92 to 4, grants Russia and Moldova permanent normal trade relations,...

MOSCOW — The visit of a multimillionaire Russian senator to the United States last week was difficult, upbeat and contradictory — the very image of the reset-retrench relationship between the two countries. Vitaly Malkin was in Washington to confront Congress over the Magnitsky bill, which would put Russians connected with human rights abuses on a blacklist, denying them U.S. visas and freezing their assets. The bill has infuriated Russian officials , and they speak about it...

MOSCOW — The U.S. Senate on Thursday repealed a trade sanction imposed 38 years ago to force the Soviet Union to allow Jews and other religious minorities to emigrate, replacing it with a modern-day punishment for human rights abuse that has enraged Russian officials. The old law, one of the last vestiges of the Cold War, was called the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, named after a U.S. senator and a representative. The new law, passed 92 to 4, grants Russia and Moldova permanent normal...

MOSCOW — City officials denied permission Monday for a rally on behalf of a lawyer who died in police custody in 2009, revealing deep sensitivity to a case that has provoked accusations of high-level corruption here and set off threats of sanctions as far away as Washington. The death of Sergei L. Magnitsky has prompted debates in Congress and among lawmakers, human rights advocates and the Obama administration over how U.S. foreign policy should address trade...

THE ADOPTION OF children from abroad is fraught with emotions, and adoptions from Russia are no exception. Russia is the third-most favored place for adoptions by U.S. families, after China and Ethiopia. The adoptions have often led to bruised feelings of national pride. At the same time, many of the children enjoy a better life than if they had languished in Russia's grim institutions. It was with an eye toward improving the process of such adoptions that the United States and Russia approved a bilateral...

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is on his way back from Russia after meeting with outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev, just months before a congressional debate over whether to establish permanent normalized trade relations with Moscow. The visit was highly coordinated with the Obama administration, according to an aide to Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Baucus is anticipating a debate over granting Russia permanent normalized trade relations (PNTR) status — which would also require...

MOSCOW — The Russian parliament intends to take up a bill Tuesday designed to hamper and frustrate civil society groups that accept money from abroad — which means, effectively, from the United States — in a move that is being portrayed as retaliation for the Magnitsky bill making its way through Congress. The Russian legislation, which has the Kremlin's backing, comes at a difficult moment in relations between Washington and Moscow, characterized by sharp disagreements over Syria and missile defense , and deep...

MOSCOW — As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to take up legislation known as the Magnitsky bill this week, a newspaper reported Wednesday that a key figure in the Russian corruption case that inspired the measure is involved in a two-year-old criminal investigation. Olga Stepanova was the head of a tax office that approved a fraudulent $230 million refund in 2007, a scheme revealed by whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky before he was arrested. He died in jail three years...

MOSCOW — Soviet leaders used to prefer Republicans to Democrats, in the belief that Republicans were tough but more sincere and, once they made a promise, were more likely to deliver on it. There has been a whiff of that old way of thinking in recent remarks by President Vladimir Putin, even though plenty has changed in Russia's relations with the United States. Speaking to reporters last week, Putin said he appreciated Mitt Romney's bluntness in his denunciations of Russia — because that stance lets...

MOSCOW — The visit of a multimillionaire Russian senator to the United States last week was difficult, upbeat and contradictory — the very image of the reset-retrench relationship between the two countries. Vitaly Malkin was in Washington to confront Congress over the Magnitsky bill, which would put Russians connected with human rights abuses on a blacklist, denying them U.S. visas and freezing their assets. The bill has infuriated Russian officials , and they...

MOSCOW — The Russian parliament intends to take up a bill Tuesday designed to hamper and frustrate civil society groups that accept money from abroad — which means, effectively, from the United States — in a move that is being portrayed as retaliation for the Magnitsky bill making its way through Congress. The Russian legislation, which has the Kremlin's backing, comes at a difficult moment in relations between Washington and Moscow, characterized by sharp disagreements over Syria and missile defense ,...

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S hopes of forging a partnership with Vladi­mir Putin after his return to the Russian presidency appear to be fading fast. With a meeting between the two presidents due Monday, Russia is rebuffing U.S. appeals for cooperation in stopping the massacres in Syria, while continuing to supply the regime of Bashar al-Assad with weapons. Meanwhile the Kremlin is cracking down on Russians seeking democratic reform or fighting corruption. This month a prominent journalist was forced to flee the country after a senior government...

MOSCOW — Russia is prepared to retaliate if the U.S. Congress passes the Magnitsky bill , which would freeze assets of and deny U.S. visas to Russian officials linked to human rights abuses, President Vladimir Putin's top foreign adviser said Tuesday. "We would very much like to avoid it," Yuri Ushakov said. "But if this new anti-Russian law is adopted, then of course that demands measures in response. " Ushakov's comments came in an otherwise upbeat briefing on a meeting between Putin and President...

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S hopes of forging a partnership with Vladi­mir Putin after his return to the Russian presidency appear to be fading fast. With a meeting between the two presidents due Monday, Russia is rebuffing U.S. appeals for cooperation in stopping the massacres in Syria, while continuing to supply the regime of Bashar al-Assad with weapons. Meanwhile the Kremlin is cracking down on Russians seeking democratic reform or fighting corruption. This month a prominent journalist was forced to flee the country after a senior government official...

MOSCOW — Soviet leaders used to prefer Republicans to Democrats, in the belief that Republicans were tough but more sincere and, once they made a promise, were more likely to deliver on it. There has been a whiff of that old way of thinking in recent remarks by President Vladimir Putin, even though plenty has changed in Russia's relations with the United States. Speaking to reporters last week, Putin said he appreciated Mitt Romney's bluntness in his denunciations of Russia — because that stance lets...

MOSCOW — City officials denied permission Monday for a rally on behalf of a lawyer who died in police custody in 2009, revealing deep sensitivity to a case that has provoked accusations of high-level corruption here and set off threats of sanctions as far away as Washington. The death of Sergei L. Magnitsky has prompted debates in Congress and among lawmakers, human rights advocates and the Obama administration over how U.S. foreign policy should address trade issues and human rights abuses in...

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is on his way back from Russia after meeting with outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev, just months before a congressional debate over whether to establish permanent normalized trade relations with Moscow. The visit was highly coordinated with the Obama administration, according to an aide to Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Baucus is anticipating a debate over granting Russia permanent normalized trade relations (PNTR) status — which would also require the...