Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation

In its resolution, Saeima denounces Russian authorities for a failure to properly investigate the death of Russian lawyer and tax auditor Magnitsky, underlines Latvia’s duty to react to gross human rights violations, large-scale financial fraud and corruption, as well as calls on the government to adopt sanctions against the persons involved in the Magnitsky case.

The Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee had drafted the resolution in cooperation with MPs from various factions in the Latvian parliament.

The resolution urges the Cabinet of Ministers to add the foreign nationals involved in the Magnitsky case to the list of persons undesirable in Latvia, thus banning them from entering Latvia.

The Saeima resolution also calls on the parliaments of other EU and NATO member states to pass their own Magnitsky Acts to strengthen the rule of law and expresses support for coordinated EU-wide Magnitsky sanctions.

Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in a Russian prison in 2009 after uncovering a 230-million-US-dollar tax fraud scheme. Magnitsky's supporters blame Russia's authorities for the lawyer's death, saying that he was unjustly imprisoned and did not receive proper medical care for 358 days until his death. The Kremlin denies the allegations.

The United States, Canada, the UK, Lithuania and Estonia also adopted Magnitsky Acts.