Russia Outlaws USA Officials over Human Rights Violations

Russia has banned 18 officials from the George W. Bush administration on Saturday from entering the country, accusing them of committing human rights violations. The move comes as retaliation after the US Treasury Department blacklisted 18 Russians, over a bill which was passed by the U.S. Congress in November–December 2012, called the Magnitsky Act. The bill, formally known as the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (H.R. 4405), was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June 2012, and signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 14, 2012. Sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin, the…