Russia bans US meat ‘over diplomatic row’
Parliament appears to be retaliating against a US law targeting Russian officials accused of corruption.
Russia’s lower parliament appears to be retaliating against a US law that targets Russian officials accused of corruption.
The Duma has already imposed restrictions on US pork and beef imports and is now considering a host of other punitive measures.
A trade bill passed in the US Senate on Friday will deny visas and freeze the assets of Russian officials linked to the death of a Russian whistleblower.
Sergei Magnitsky uncovered evidence of a $230m Russian tax fraud, but himself ended up accused of the crime.
He died in suspicious circumstances in a Moscow jail in 2009. Russian health officials deny the ban on US meat is politically motivated.
Al Jazeera’s Robin Forestier-Walker reports from Moscow.