Moscow has warned Washington against publishing a list of Russian officials who face sanctions for alleged human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said on Friday that publication of the list would severely strain relations.<\/p>\n
The list, which was expected to be released Friday, is authorized by the Magnitsky Act, a law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Barack Obama last December.<\/p>\n
Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer who was arrested after exposing a state embezzlement scheme. He died in prison in 2009 after being beaten and denied medical treatment.<\/p>\n
The so-called “Magnitsky list” includes not only Russian officials involved in his case, but those who have participated in the Kremlin’s crackdown on Russians’ political rights.<\/p>\n
In response to the Magnitsky Act, Russia’s parliament passed two bills that President Vladimir Putin signed into law.<\/p>\n
One bars Americans from adopting Russian children, while the other lists sanctions to be taken again those who have violated the human rights of Russian citizens. <\/p>\n