The Houses of Parliament in London, pictured in January 2018. The U.K. has passed a bill into law that allows sanctions to be imposed on people suspected of human rights abuses. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)
The Houses of Parliament in London, pictured in January 2018. The U.K. has passed a bill into law that allows sanctions to be imposed on people suspected of human rights abuses. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)

CPJ welcomes introduction of UK Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill

May 24, 2018, London–The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed the U.K.’s decision to pass into law legislation that addresses human rights abuses. The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which yesterday received Royal Assent to be passed into law, includes a “Magnitsky amendment” that empowers the U.K. to apply sanctions against individuals suspected of human rights abuses, according to reports. The U.K. is the latest of several countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Lithuania, to adopt such legislation.

“The U.K.’s adoption of the Sanctions and Money Laundering Bill with the Magnitsky amendment is a positive step in the global fight against impunity. The U.K. must ensure officials and other powerful figures responsible for attacks against journalists are included in any sanctions’ lists,” said CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch in Washington, D.C. “Those who use violence, wrongful imprisonment or murder to silence journalists may be able to use influence and money to escape prosecution at home, but they will not escape justice altogether.”