Russia's Lavrov warns U.S. over human rights law: agency

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Russia has warned the United States that their relations would suffer "serious damage" if Washington adopts a bill to penalise Russian officials for human rights abuses, a state news agency reported on Saturday.

Itar-Tass said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at talks on Friday in St Petersburg that "the possible endorsement in the United States of the 'Magnitsky law' will bring serious damage to relations between our countries."

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The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week passed the "Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act", named after a Russian anti-corruption lawyer whose death in 2009 while in pre-trial detention drew widespread condemnation.

The bill would deny visas and freeze the assets of Russians suspected of involvement in his death.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/06/30/uk-russia-usa-rights-idUKBRE85T06720120630