Magnitsky Amendment is “long overdue” response to human rights abuses, says Henry Jackson Society

By HJS

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The Henry Jackson Society today welcomed as “long overdue” the proposed ‘Magnitsky Amendment’ to the Government’s Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which will be debated at Second Reading in Parliament on Tuesday.

The amendment, which is supported by a cross-party group of MPs led by former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, would introduce specific powers for Ministers to freeze the assets of individuals guilty of gross abuses of human rights and ban those people from entering the United Kingdom.

The Director of the Russia and Eurasia Studies Centre at The Henry Jackson Society, Dr Andrew Foxall, said:

“The ‘Magnitsky Amendment’ seeks to introduce legislation that is long overdue.

“In comparison to other Western countries, successive British governments have been woefully inactive in passing legislation that would levy sanctions on human rights abusers in Russia and elsewhere. The US was the first to pass Magnitsky legislation, in 2012. Since then, Canada, Estonia and Lithuania have all done so.

“If the UK is to be a global leader in this field post-Brexit, then this measure is a necessary step in that direction.”

HJS



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