Kiev Plans to Create Magnitsky-Style Act Over Ukrainians Jailed in Russia - Minister

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2018) The Ukrainian Justice Ministry intends to propose to international partners to create a version of the Magnitsky Act to impose additional individually-targeted sanctions on the leadership of Russia over the situation with Ukrainians jailed in Russia, Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said on Monday.

Earlier in August the Ukrainian authorities filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over alleged violations of rights of Ukrainians convicted in Russia. This was the sixth such lawsuit. Russian officials have repeatedly said that Kiev has no evidence of these alleged human rights violations.

"We expect the ECHR to consider this case promptly enough and we will be asking to consider this case as a priority one .

.. Secondly, we will propose to our international partners to form a separate sanctions list, an equivalent of the Magnitsky Act," Petrenko said at a press conference as quoted by Ukrinform.

According to the minister, Kiev has for the first time sent a document to an international court, which Names Russian officials who, in Ukraine's opinion, are involved in violating the rights of Ukrainians convicted in Russia.

In December 2012, the United States adopted the Magnitsky Act on sanctions against Russian nationals, who are allegedly involved in violations of human rights. In 2016, Washington adopted the Global Magnitsky Act that no longer targets only Russian citizens and allows the US government to impose sanctions on any individual or entity implicated in human rights abuses.