US publishes Magnitsky list of banned Russians

London: The United States has published a list of mainly Russian officials banned from entering the country due to alleged human rights abuses.

The US imposed the sanctions after Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in jail in 2009 in disputed circumstances. According to the BBC, the list includes tax officials and police officers who jailed Magnitsky after he accused them of corruption. Magnitsky was arrested in 2008 for tax evasion after accusing Russian police officials of stealing USD 230 million from the state through fraudulent tax rebates. His family and rights groups say he was badly beaten and denied medical treatment in custody. The Magnitsky Act passed by Washington in 2012 blacklists Russian officials accused of involvement in his death. The names on the list have up to now been kept secret, the report said. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Russian law barring Americans from adopting Russian orphans, it added. ANI