(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121207-magnitsky-630a.photoblog600.jpg)Andrey Smirnov/AFP - Getty Images Snow covers the grave of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky at a cemetery in Moscow on Friday.By ReutersMOSCOW -- Moscow has strongly criticized U.S. legislation that calls for sanctions against Russian officials accused of human rights abuses and warned that it will respond in kind.
The legislation is primarily intended to end Cold War-era trade restrictions and was hailed by U.S. businesses worried about falling behind in the race to win shares of Russia's more open market, but its human rights part has outraged President Vladimir Putin's government.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) The U.S. measure, dubbed the Magnitsky act, is named for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested by officials he accused of a $230-million tax fraud.
Magnitsky was repeatedly denied medical treatment and in 2009 died after almost a year in jail after being severely beaten by guards. Russian rights groups accused the Kremlin of failing to prosecute those responsible, while independent media claimed that such tax frauds are widespread.
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