Russia parliament gives final approval to US adoption ban

Russia's lower house of parliament gave its final approval Friday to a contentious bill that retaliates against a new US human rights measure by barring Americans from adopting the country's children. The State Duma passed the bill without debate in a quick 420-7 vote while protesters picketed the building demanding that the measure be voted down. Friday's vote took place in a largely ceremonial third and final reading of the legislation and the outcome was never in doubt. The Kremlin-dominated upper house of parliament is now expected to approve the ban on December 26 before passing it on to President Vladimir Putin for his signature. The Russian leader strongly indicated Thursday that he was ready to put his name on the measure so that it could enter law on January 1. The law would end about 1,000 adoptions a year and underscores the severity of the recent strain in Russia-US relations. It has also highlighted splits in the Russian government between those who subscribe to strong anti-US rhetoric and those who would prefer to cast Moscow as a more reasoned partner that does not favour hostile acts. Several senior government officials at one stage accused deputies of playing a risky game of populist politics that risked further upsetting relations between Moscow and Washington. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the ban "a mistake" -- a rare instance of the country's top diplomat disagreeing with the leadership's apparent position on of the most controversial domestic issues of the day. Putin himself conceded earlier this week that leading lawmakers were taking out their anger at Washington more severely than the Kremlin would have preferred. But he lashed out at the United States once again on Thursday during his annual press conference. "I understand that this was an emotional response by the State Duma, but I think that it was appropriate," Putin told reporters. Russia's legislation came after US President Barack Obama last week signed into law the Magnitsky Act -- a measure paying tribute to a Russian lawyer who died in custody in Moscow in 2009 after blowing the whistle on a $235 million police embezzlement scheme. His employer Hermitage Capital -- once Russia's largest Western investment fund -- and family both believe that he was tortured in prison and eventually dies of his beatings. Russian investigators have dismissed those charges and are still pursuing a fraud case against the late Magnitsky himself.