SKOLKOVO, December 11 (RIA Novosti) – The United States could broaden the number of Russian officials included on a travel blacklist by the end of this year, the US ambassador in Moscow said Wednesday.
Ambassador Michael McFaul said a review of the Magnitsky List was currently under way, and that although he was uncertain what the outcome of the process would be, additions were possible.
Last December, the United States blacklisted 18 officials over their alleged role in the fate of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was detained on tax charges and died in custody in a Moscow jail in 2009, after he had implicated state officials in a fraud involving the company for which he worked.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s point man for human rights, Konstantin Dolgov, said McFaul’s statement came as no surprise as the US law stipulated that the list should be reviewed from time to time.
“We have already revealed our stance, [and] it remains unchanged. Appropriate measures will be taken in response. Naturally, we won’t leave moves like that unanswered,” Dolgov said.
Updates with Russian Foreign Ministry comment, changes headline
