On Tuesday, the Law on National Sanctions against Foreign Companies and Foreigners Who Seriously Violate the Law entered into force in the Czech Republic - it is the Czech version of the "Magnitsky Law".
This is reported by Czech Radio.
The Czech Republic will now be able to ban persons who have not been subject to EU sanctions from entering or staying on the Czech territory or freeze their assets.
The legislative norm related to Russian aggression against Ukraine allows restrictions to be imposed also on organizations and regimes that violate human rights or use terrorist methods and cyber attacks.
The law will allow the application of measures different from those listed in the list of EU sanctions.
The draft law was prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The decision to include in the list of sanctions will be made by the government on the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Persons included in the sanctions list will also be able to defend their interests in the court of first instance, namely the Municipal Court in Prague.
Czech President Milos Zeman signed the Czech version of the Magnitsky Act on December 8.
The so-called "Magnitsky Act" was first approved in the US by former President Barack Obama in December 2012. He banned 18 Russian government officials and businessmen from entering the US and using the banking system, and their assets were frozen.
The law is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer and auditor who died in a Russian prison under inhumane conditions. In 2008, Magnitsky investigated a network of tax fraud and bribery in the Russian Federation.