MEPs urge sanctions in Russia's Magnitsky case

(BRUSSELS) - European lawmakers Thursday called for an EU-wide asset freeze and travel ban against Russian officials involved in the 2009 death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky as well as the subsequent inquiry.

The European Parliament's foreign affairs committee urged the European Union in a recommendation to draw up a list of officials responsible for his death in custody and to sanction them.

It also asked Russsia "to conduct a credible and independent investigation encompassing all aspects of this tragic case."

The 2009 death in jail of the 37-year-old lawyer working for a Western investment fund has become a major sticking point in Russia's relations with Western countries.

"The arrest, detention and death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky represent a well-documented and substantial case of disrespect for fundamental human rights," the MEPs said.

Magnitsky, a Russian national, died in November 2009 while being held restrained and handcuffed in a Moscow jail after being transferred from the notorious Butyrka pre-trial detention centre.

Almost three years later, no one has been punished for his death.