MOSCOW, December 10 - RAPSI. The State Duma plans to consider a bill this week imposing visa and economic sanctions against Americans who are believed to have violated the rights of Russians.

A source in the State Duma told RIA Novosti that the bill will also affect those who violated the rights of Russian children adopted by US families.
The source said that this will be an entirely new law, as opposed to an amendment or set thereof.

Recently, all State Duma factions submitted a bill to parliament stipulating economic and visa sanctions as well as deportation from Russia for individuals who violated the rights of Russian citizens.

On December 6, the US Senate approved the Magnitsky Act, stipulating visa sanctions for Russians who, according to the senate members, were involved in human rights violations. The law evoked severe criticism from the State Duma.

The bill was introduced by a group of U.S. senators last spring. The suggestion was that there should be a blacklist of Russian officials allegedly linked to the death of Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow pre-trial detention center in November 2009, in exchange for the cancellation of the Jackson-Vanik amendment.

Magnitsky was arrested on tax evasion charges in November 2008, just days after accusing police investigators in a $230 million tax refund fraud, and died after almost a year in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Russia will respond to the Magnitsky Act by banning entry to Americans believed to have violated human rights.

Presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Sunday, "the Magnitsky Act is an extremely unfriendly move. The most unpleasant thing is that we are forced to take retaliatory measures and we'll certainly respond to this."