The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the sanctions imposed on Russian officials by Canada over the death of Russian lawyer Sergey Magnitsky, amount to pressure tactics.
The Canadian parliament's subcommittee on Human rights adopted a resolution to deny visas and freeze the Canadian assets of Russian officials allegedly linked to the death of Magnitsky in a pre-trial detention center last year.
"We doubt the prosecutorial bias of the resolution will complement the human rights image of Canadian legislators," the ministry said in the statement on its website. "And it will certainly not add anything positive into our bilateral relations."
In November, the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee voted unanimously to ban entry to the EU for 60 officials allegedly tied to the Magnitsky's death. The full house is expected to vote on the issue next month.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Glushko said the sanctions were an intrusion on Russia's domestic affairs. He described the move as politicized and said it showed no respect for Russia's legal system.
Konstantin Kosachyov, the chairman of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee warned the move "may have negative consequences for Russia-EU relations."
Magnitsky, who was defending UK investment company Hermitage Capital Management against tax evasion charges, died in a Moscow prison last November after being refused medical treatment for pancreatitis.
His death triggered an international row that his imprisonment was politically motivated.
MOSCOW, December 9 (RIA Novosti)
