Source: Daily Times:
MOSCOW: Russia’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday unanimously backed a bill barring Americans from adopting Russian children, leaving the controversial measure in the hands of President Vladimir Putin.The vote was the last legislative hurdle for the bill, one of the toughest pieces of anti-US legislation in Russia in years that now just needs to be signed by Putin to become law.Putin has expressed understanding for the bill but has not yet explicitly vowed to sign it.
The tough piece of anti-US legislation – retaliation for a new law sanctioning Russian officials implicated in the prison death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009 — has inflamed tensions between the two former Cold War rivals.The draft legislation has already passed the three required readings in the State Duma lower house despite the protests of human rights advocates and even senior officials.
Categories: Americas