Russian State Duma or lower house of the parliament on Friday approved tit-for-tat measures against the Magnitsky Act adopted by the U.S. Congress.

The bill, consisting measures against persons violating the rights of Russian citizens, was submitted to the lower house by Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin and leaders of the four factions in the parliament on Monday.

Passed in its first reading with a 431-2 vote, the bill imposes entrance bans to U.S. citizens including those who have committed crimes against Russian citizens abroad, persons involved in abduction or illegal imprisonment of Russian citizens, persons implicated in the abuse of adopted Russian children.

The assets of those "human rights violators" in Russia would also be frozen, according to the bill.

The act is expected to be passed in two more readings by the State Duma before being sent to the Federation Council, or upper house of the parliament. It will take effect on Jan. 1, 2013 following the signing of President Vladimir Putin.

The Magnitsky Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in November and the Senate recently, requires the U.S. government to impose visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials who it believes responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, an anti- corruption lawyer who died in a Moscow jail in 2009 during a one- year detention after accusing officials of mass tax fraud.