WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa) joined Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and several of his colleagues to
introduce
legislation that would reauthorize the
Global
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. This law, which went into effect
in 2016, provides the president with the authority to leverage economic
sanctions against any party responsible for “gross violations of
internationally recognized human rights” against human rights defenders or
individuals exposing government corruption. The current authorization is set to
expire this December.
“Magnitsky sanctions are a valuable tool
in our arsenal for punishing bad actors around the world, and it’s another way
the U.S. can support brave men and women who speak out and fight against human
rights violations. We must reauthorize this law without delay,” Grassley said.
“Over the past six years, Global
Magnitsky sanctions have been an invaluable tool used by our government to
protect the vulnerable and punish bad actors who pose a threat to global peace
and security,” Rubio said. “This
carefully crafted and bipartisan law empowered two different administrations to
hold human rights violators accountable. I urge my colleagues to join me in
supporting this crucial reauthorization.”
The
proposal would reauthorize the
Global
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for twelve years, until December
31, 2034.
Grassley has
called for Magnitsky sanctions to be considered for China’s human rights abuses
against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities. The
law
stems from the
Sergei Magnitsky Rule of
Law Accountability Act of 2012, which authorized sanctions against a group
of Russians responsible for a particularly egregious case of human rights
abuse. It is reported that Vladimir Putin detests the law, while the late
pro-democracy leader Boris Nemtsov, who was killed likely on Putin’s orders,
called the Magnitsky Act “the most pro-Russian law in the history of any
foreign Parliament” because it targets those in the Putin regime who oppress
Russian citizens.
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