Medvedev calls Magnitsky Act a 'mistake'

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MOSCOW, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev criticized a proposed U.S. law Thursday that would sanction officials involved in alleged human rights abuses.

Medvedev called the Magnitsky Act a "huge mistake," RIA Novosti reported. He welcomed the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a 1974 law aimed at Soviet-era restrictions on emigration, but said it should not be tied to new economic sanctions.

"It is totally unacceptable for one country to dictate its will to another country. This is a huge mistake by American lawmakers, as well as by the whole U.S. establishment," Medvedev said.

The Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian human-rights lawyer who died in police custody in 2009. The act passed the House of Representatives this month and is awaiting Senate action.