A U.S. Senate panel has approved sanctions on Russian officials who violate human rights.

The bill, approved by the Foreign Relations Committee, would ban travel visas and freeze the assets of anyone found to be a human rights abuser.

But it specifically targets Russian officials responsible for the imprisonment, alleged torture, and death of Sergei Magnitsky — the Russian lawyer jailed in 2008 after accusing top police officials of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars.

A House panel already passed a similar bill. The White House opposes the measure, saying it already has sanctions against Russians involved in Magnitsky's death.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened retaliatory measures if the bill becomes law.