Russia banned 18 Americans from entering its country, seen as a retaliatory move to Washington, which just a few days before, imposed sanctions on certain Russians from entering the U.S. for their alleged human rights violations, the Associated Press reported.
Russia sought to retaliate by imposing similar restrictions to U.S. government employees who they felt violated human rights, like the chief architects of the harsh interrogation techniques during the war in Afghanistan, like former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and John Yoo, the former U.S. Justice Department official who wrote the legal memos authorizing them. Two former commanders of the Guantanamo Bay detention center were also restricted.
The U.S. sanctions are under the Magnitsky Law, named for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who was arrested in 2008 for tax evasion after accusing police officials for stealing millions in tax rebates. He died the next year after allegedly being beaten in jail and denied medical treatment. His death was greeted by derision by human rights activists, and helped prompt the U.S. to sign it into law last year.
"As we've said many times before, the right response by Russia to the international outcry over Sergei Magnitsky's death would be to conduct a proper investigation and hold those responsible for his death accountable, rathe than engage in tit-for-tat retaliation," the U.S. statement said.
The U.S.-Russian relations have severely deteriorated despite Washington's hope to "reset" relations since Barack Obama became president. After the Magnitsky Law was signed, Moscow had passed a measure banning Americans from adopting anymore Russian children, seen as harsh in most circles. Moscow also banned U.S. funding for any non-governmental organization deemed to be engaging in politics.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement Saturday that the U.S. sanctions struck a "strong blow to bilateral relations and joint trust." .
"It's important that criteria on which the Russians was composed differ fundamentally from the Americans'. On the Russian list, including the closed part, are people actually responsible for the legalization and indefinite detention of prisoners in Guantanamo, for arrests and unjust sentences for our countrymen," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov added.
