Magnitsky List

The Magnitsky List is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Hermitage Capital lawyer who was investigating corruption among some high-ranking Russian officials. Magnitsky died in November 2009 while in pre-trial detention at Moscow's Matrosskaya Tishina prison.

Official reports list the cause of death as heart failure, however, many people believe that some of the officials Magnitsky was investigating could be responsible for his death. The case has been  discussed in international circles, including in the halls of the U.S. Congress, where Senator Benjamin Cardin (Democrat-Maryland)  compiled a list of 60 people implicated in the events who could be subjected to a visa ban. Eventually the act grew to encompass all persons deemed responsible for human rights violations in Russia. Should the bill be approved, the U.S. Department of State will have three months to submit “blacklists” to Congress, not all of which will be made public.