WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday after Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her government’s support for legislation to hold human rights abusers accountable worldwide. Cardin and U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) are the co-authors of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which became U.S. law in December 2016, the inspiration behind Canada other nations’ legislation:
“I commend Foreign Minister Freeland and Prime Minister Trudeau for throwing their support behind this important law making its way through the Canadian Parliament. When the United States and its allies stand together in support of our shared values such as universal human rights and fighting impunity, we shine as a bright light for the rest of the world and simultaneously put a spotlight on individuals who are not held to account by their own governments for gross corruption and crimes against humanity. I encourage the Canadian Parliament to pass the Global Magnitsky bill and hope other nations will take up the charge. In Sergei Magnitsky’s name, we can continue making a difference for countless innocent people and hold human rights abusers and corrupt officials accountable.”
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