Toggle navigation menu.
Helsinki Default Banner

CARDIN MOVES TO SANCTION HUMAN-RIGHTS VIOLATORS IN RUSSIA

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), today joined 14 other senators to introduce a bill that would freeze assets and block visas of individuals who commit gross human-rights violations against whistleblowers and activists in the Russian Federation.  Other co-sponsors of the bill include: Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Mark Begich (D-AK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tom Udall (D-NM), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2011 seeks to combat what has become a toxic atmosphere of impunity in Russia where despite occasional rhetoric from the Kremlin, the authorities have failed to follow through with meaningful action to stem rampant corruption or bring the perpetrators of numerous and high-profile crimes to justice.

“While this bill bears Sergei Magnitsky’s name in honor of his sacrifice, the language addresses the overall issue of the erosion of the rule of law and human rights in Russia,” said Senator Cardin, who in April 2010 called for a visa ban on 60 Russian officials involved in the torture and death of Magnitsky. “It offers hope to those who suffer in silence, whose cases may be less known or not known at all.”

Senator Cardin’s bill targets those involved in Sergei Magnitsky’s case and also targets individuals “responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of human rights.” The bill also seeks to protect individuals who expose illegal activity by officials of the Government of the Russian Federation as well as extend protection to those who advocate for freedom of expression, religion or other democratic principles.

In introducing the bill, Senator Cardin said: “Private and even public expressions of concern are not a substitute for a real policy nor are they enough, it’s time for consequences. The bill I introduced today sends a strong message to those who are currently acting with impunity in Russia that there will be consequences for corruption should you wish to travel to and invest in the United States. Such actions will provide needed moral support for those in Russia doing the really heavy-lifting in fighting corruption and promoting the rule of law, but they will also protect our own interests – values or business related.”

Key Points of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2011:

  • Makes an alien ineligible for entry or admission to the United States when the Secretary of State in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury determines such alien to be: (1) an individual who was responsible for the detention, abuse, or death of Sergei Magnitsky or participated in efforts to conceal the legal liability of any person for the detention, abuse, or death of Sergei Magnitsky; (2) an individual who conspired to defraud the Russian Federation of taxes on corporate profits through fraudulent transactions and lawsuits against the Hermitage foreign investment company; (3) an individual who was responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of human rights committed against any persons seeking to expose illegal actions of officials of the Russian government or to obtain, exercise, defend, or promote internationally recognized human rights.
  • Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) instruct domestic financial institutions and agencies to take specified measures if the Secretary makes a money laundering determination relating to such conspiracy, and (2) freeze and prohibit U.S. property transactions of an individual who is prohibited from entering the United States or acts as an agent for such an individual.
  • Requires a report to Congress not later than 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter.

Please click here for Chairman Cardin’s floor statement on the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2011.

Please click here for a PDF of the bill. 

Media contact

Category
Country
Issue
Date
Filter Topics Open Close
Press Releases

Helsinki Commission House Leadership Marks Fourth An...

Jun 06, 2024

WASHINGTON—Today, Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) and Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) marked the fourth annual Counter-Kleptocracy Month. The U.S. Helsinki Commission has marked Counter-Kleptocracy month since June 2021 when the Commission helped to launch the Congressional Caucus against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy (Counter-Kleptocracy Caucus). The Caucus is also chaired by Reps. Wilson and […]

screen-reader-text
Hearings

Russia’s Alpine Assets: Money Laundering and S...

Jul 18, 2023

Switzerland has for years been a primary destination for Russian money laundering and, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a weak link in Western sanctions enforcement. This Helsinki Commission hearing examined Switzerland’s poor track record of rooting out dirty Russian money and examined potential paths forward for U.S. policymakers in persuading Switzerland to uphold its […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Hearing: Supporting a Democratic and Secure Moldova

Jul 06, 2023

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 2:00 pm Cannon House Office Building, Room 210 Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm-R6rfQbCo In recent years, Moldova has enacted numerous reforms under current Moldovan President Maia Sandu to strengthen its democratic institutions, combat corruption and kleptocracy, and integrate with the European Union. In 2022, the European Union granted Moldova “Candidate” status in its […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Chairman Wilson and RM Cohen Mark Third Annual Count...

Jun 16, 2023

WASHINGTON—Today, Helsinki Commission Chairman Joe Wilson and Ranking Member Steve Cohen, Co-Chairmen of the Counter-Kleptocracy Caucus, marked the third annual Counter-Kleptocracy Month. “Foreign corruption and kleptocracy is the main reason that we face a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine today. It is the way that the Islamic Republic of Iran sustains itself. It is the […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Helsinki Commissioners Announce Re-introduction of C...

Jan 25, 2023

On Tuesday, Helsinki Commissioners Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Joe Wilson, and Senator Ben Cardin re-introduced the Combatting Global Corruption Act in both the House and Senate, along with Rep. Bill Keating, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and Senator Todd Young. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation formally designates combatting global corruption as a key U.S. national security concern. It would require […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Co-Chairman Cohen Calls for the Release of Political...

Aug 09, 2022

Washington – On the second anniversary of the sham presidential election in Belarus, the Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman and OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement: “Two years ago today, Belarus’s autocrat Aleksander Lukashenko put up a show of an election that he had hoped would legitimize his […]

screen-reader-text
Digests

Helsinki Commission Digital Digest July 2022

Jul 29, 2022

screen-reader-text
Digests

HELSINKI COMMISSION DIGITAL DIGEST JUNE 2022

Jun 30, 2022

screen-reader-text
Digests

Helsinki Commission Digital Digest May 2022

Jun 01, 2022

screen-reader-text
Briefings

Putin’s Bribetakers and Warmongers

May 19, 2022

The Helsinki Commission was briefed on 6,000 bribetakers and warmongers identified by Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Helsinki Commissioners Lead Bipartisan Ask for Biden...

May 12, 2022

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (MD), author of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and Chair of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), along with Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (MS) and Commissioners Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) are urging President Joe Biden to publicly sanction […]

screen-reader-text
Briefings

Russia’s Swiss Enablers

May 05, 2022

Long known as a destination for war criminals and kleptocrats to stash their plunder, Switzerland is a leading enabler of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his cronies. After looting Russia, Putin and his oligarchs use Swiss secrecy laws to hide and protect the proceeds of their crimes. Close relations between Swiss and Russian authorities have […]

screen-reader-text