Obama likely to visit Russia despite tensions

Barack Obama

flickr-US Embassy New Z...

US President Barack Obama is expected to visit Russia despite recent tensions between the nations. 

These tensions stem from a new set of laws, which establish the rights of both countries to deny entry visas to unwanted Russian or American citizens. 

On December 14, 2012, Obama signed into law a new bill known as the Magnitsky Act, which refuses entry visas to Russian citizens accused of human rights violations. The bill goes further to enable US authorities to freeze any assets such citizens may hold in the US. 

The Russian government's retaliatory response came when they proposed a similar bill, which would deny entry visas to American citizens who violate the rights of Russian's abroad. In addition to such restrictions, the bill also sets to prevent such US citizens from conducting business in Russia. Out of the 450 seats in the Russian lower house assembly, only two deputies voted against the new bill. 

The American bill is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian attorney who died due to mistreatment and abuse whilst incarcerated in a Moscow jail. 

Russian officials have suggested that their own bill be named after Dima Yakovlev, a Russian orphan who died at just 18 months of age due to mistreatment and neglect from his adoptive US family.