Today emerged the news that the US state department has imposed sanctions against officials who are suspected of involvement in the death of Hermitage lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.  The sanctions, which were first proposed by Senator Benjamin Cardin in spring of last year, would see around sixty officials, including judges and interior ministry officials, refused visas to the US.  Although it has been noted that the US hardly screamed the announcement from the rooftops, it is nonetheless gratifying to see a stand being taken on the case, especially given the apparent stakes involved (as the state department memo points out, Russia has ‘said that other areas of bilateral co-operation, including on transit to Afghanistan, could be jeopardised if this legislation passes’.)  The international community has often been taxed with turning a blind eye to Russia’s human rights abuses; Angela Merkel’s recent amicable meeting with President Medvedev drew attention to this problem.  EU Observer reports on Hermitage founder Bill Browder’s reaction and how Europe might follow Washington’s example: