Russia, in response to London's sanctions in the Magnitsky case, imposed personal restrictions on 25 British representatives. This was reported on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that on all issues related to the death of Hermitage Capital auditor Sergei Magnitsky, Moscow has more than once provided exhaustive comments and explanations, which in the UK “prefer not to notice.”
“In response to the unfriendly actions of the British authorities and on the basis of the principle of reciprocity, the Russian side made a decision to impose personal sanctions against 25 British representatives who are barred from entering the Russian Federation,” the Foreign Ministry said.
In July, the UK imposed sanctions against the chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) Alexander Bastrykin and 24 other people associated with Russian security forces. These people, according to the British authorities, are involved in the death of the auditor Sergei Magnitsky in Matrosskaya Tishina.
According to the Russian Attorney General's Office, William Browder, founder of Hermitage Capital, organized a criminal community to evade taxes, embezzle Russian budget funds, and deliberate bankruptcy. The person involved in the case was also the foundation's lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who, according to the investigation, helped to come up with a criminal scheme.
Magnitsky was arrested in 2008, and in 2009 he died in the Moscow SIZO Matrosskaya Tishina. According to the defense, his death is connected with the refusal of the jailers to provide him with medical assistance, and the Prosecutor General's Office noted that they consider it very likely that Magnitsky was killed on the orders of Browder.
