(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday that bans Americans
from adopting Russian children and imposes other sanctions in retaliation for a
new U.S. human rights law that he says is poisoning relations.
The law, which has ignited outrage among Russian liberals and child rights'
advocates, takes effect on January 1. Washington has called the law misguided
and said it ties the fate of children to "unrelated political
considerations."
It is likely to deepen a chill in U.S.-Russian relations and deal a blow to
Putin's image abroad.
Fifty-two children whose adoptions by American parents were underway will
remain in Russia, Interfax news agency
cited Russia's child rights commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, as saying.
The law, whose text was issued by the Kremlin, will also outlaw some
non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. funding and impose a visa ban
and asset freeze on Americans accused of violating the rights of Russians
abroad.
Pro-Kremlin lawmakers initially drafted the bill to mirror the U.S. Magnitsky
Act, which bars entry to Russians accused of involvement in the death in custody
of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and other alleged rights
abuses.
The restrictions on adoptions and non-profit groups were added to the
legislation later, going beyond a tit-for-tat move and escalating a dispute with
Washington at a time when ties are also strained by issues such as the Syrian
crisis.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the Magnitsky Act had "seriously
undermined" the "reset" -- the moniker for the effort U.S. President Barack
Obama launched early in his first term to improve relations between the former
Cold War foes.
Putin has backed the hawkish response with a mix of public appeals to
patriotism, saying Russia should care for its own children, and belligerent
denunciations of what he says is the U.S. desire to impose its will on the
world.
Seeking to dampen criticism of the move, Putin also signed a decree ordering
an improvement in care for orphans.
Critics of the Russian legislation say Putin has held the welfare of children
trapped in an crowded and troubled orphanage system hostage to political
maneuvering.
"He signed it after all! He signed one of the most shameful laws in Russia
history," a blogger named Yuri Pronko wrote on the popular Russian site
LiveJournal.
BLOW TO RUSSIA'S IMAGE
The acquittal on Friday of the only person being tried over Magnitsky's death
will fuel accusations by Kremlin critics that the Russian authorities have no
intention of seeking justice in a case that has blackened Russia's
image.
A Russian court on acquitted Dmitry Kratov, a former deputy head a jail where
Magnitsky was held before his death in 2009 after nearly a year in pre-trial
detention, after prosecutors themselves dropped charges against him.
Lawyers for Magnitsky's family said they will appeal and called for further
investigation.
Magnitsky's colleagues say he is the victim of retribution from the same
police investigators he had accused of stealing $230 million from the state
through fraudulent tax refunds -- the very same crimes with which he was
charged.
The case against Magnitsky was closed after his death but then was reopened
again in August 2011.
In an unprecedented move, Russia is trying Magnitsky posthumously for fraud,
despite protests from his family and the lawyers that it is unconstitutional to
try a dead man. A preliminary hearing is scheduled next month.
Magnitsky's death triggered an international outcry and Kremlin critics said
it underscored the dangers faced by Russians who challenge the authorities. The
Kremlin's own human rights council said Magnitsky was probably beaten to
death.
The adoption ban may further tarnish Putin's international standing at a time
when the former KGB officer is under scrutiny over what critics say is a
crackdown on dissent since he returned to the Kremlin for a six-year third term
in May.
"The law will lead to a sharp drop in the reputation of the Kremlin and of
Putin personally abroad, and signal a new phase in relations between the United
States and Russia," said Lilia Shevtsova, an expert on Putin with the Carnegie
Moscow Centre.
"It is only the first harbinger of a chill."
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