Russia Bans 18 Americans (incl: Yoo, Addington, Cheney) After Similar US Move (to ban 18 Russians)

[kpete]

Source: New York Times

Russia Bans 18 Americans After Similar US Move
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 13, 2013 at 6:38 AM ET

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Saturday named 18 Americans banned from entering the country in response to Washington imposing sanctions on 18 Russians for alleged human rights violations.

The list released by the Foreign Ministry includes John Yoo, a former U.S. Justice Department official who wrote legal memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques; David Addington, the chief of staff for former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney; and two former commanders of the Guantanamo Bay detention center: retired Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller and Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson.

The move came a day after the United States announced its sanctions under the Magnitsky Law, named for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested in 2008 for tax evasion after accusing Russian police officials of stealing $230 million in tax rebates. He died in prison the next year, allegedly after being beaten and denied medical treatment.

Neither Washington nor Moscow put high-ranking or politically prominent figures on their lists, perhaps aiming to limit the effect on U.S.-Russian relations that have deteriorated, despite President Barack Obama's initiative to "reset" relations with Moscow.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/04/13/world/europe/ap-eu-russia-us-sanctions.html?smid=tw-nytimesglobal&seid=auto&_r=0

[paleotn]

1. Well, the Russkies do have a point....

Pot calling the kettle? More than a little hypocrisy on our side.

[TwilightGardener]

2. This whole thing is absolutely silly.

[Faygo Kid]

3. Can we ban Yoo, Addington and Cheney, too?

It would be what's called a good start.

[mbperrin]

4. My thought exactly! The Russians seem to have put more thought into

their list.

[Divernan]

10. My first thought, as well!

[Baitball Blogger]

13. God knows we need protection from them too.

Amen.

[DreamGypsy]

5. Is this the beginning of a new 'cold' war?...

...the Cold Shoulder War?

"Today the Congress quickly passed the No Sour Cream in Soup Act of 2015, which establishes a national registry of consumers of borscht. The law was pass in response to a recent announcement by Russia that consumption of Campbell's tomato soup was deemed a class one felony."


I think the Russians were correct in this conclusion, however (from the NYT article):

"It's important that the criteria on which the Russian list was composed differ fundamentally from the Americans'. On the Russian list, including the closed part, are people actually responsible for the legalization of torture and indefinite detention of prisoners in Guantanamo, for arrests and unjust sentences for our countrymen," Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

[go west young man]

12. The US and the MSM have been working on that one since

the PNAC document. Cheney and his buddies at AEI don't spend all those corruptly earned dollars at resorts like Sea Island for nothing. They knew terrorism was only gonna fuel the MIC's coffers for so long. I remember back to 2006 when the MSM went on and on about Putin kissing a Russian boy on the stomach. It was obvious the shaping of the the new Cold War agenda/propaganda was taking place.

Then of course we sided with the aggressors in the Georgia conflict. The UN found we were on the wrong side in that one as Russia actually showed incredible restraint most likely because they knew the Ceylan pipeline would only carry about 5% of Europe's oil needs whereas they had most of Europe wrapped up with their own Nord and Sud lines bypassing Ukraine. Russia just plays very smart compared to us. Countries like Russia and Venezuela understand that they need do very little to us as we are our own worst enemy. It's too bad we are not smart enough to realize it.

[cprise]

17. Every country that doesn't sell itself to Wall St. is treated

..with hostility by the US government, our mass media, and the corporations/banks that own them.

[Sunlei]

6. We should enter all the war criminals to the no fly list. They all have private jets anyway.

And no taxpayer paid, free military flights.

[MyOwnPeace]

7. Oh, Crud!

Now another place we can't send the "Prince of Darkness" - Cheney.

[OnyxCollie]

8. "harsh interrogation techniques"

It's TORTURE!

[Cooley Hurd]

9. Damn... I hate to agree with the Russians (because I was brainwashed during the Cold War)

...but they certainly DO have a point here.

[Zen Democrat]

11. I would let them in the US either, if I were in charge. Traitors all.

[Berlum]

14. International War Criminals need a big dose of justice

[valerief]

15. The United States of America Junior High School vs. the Russia Junior High School Tennis Match. nt

[ck4829]

16. So we can't send them there now? Aww, man.

They would be the ones who would like it most over there I think now in the new Russia. Who is Russia really punishing here?

[Ash_F]

18. Neither country has been doing well. /nt

[Ash_F]

19. OK, so about the Magnitsky Law

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Magnitsky

"An official investigation was ordered in November 2009 by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.[18] Russian authorities had not concluded their own investigation as of December 2009, but 20 senior prison officials had already been fired as a result of the case.[17] In December 2009, in two separate decrees, Medvedev fired deputy head of the Federal Penitentiary Service Alexander Piskunov and signed a law forbidding the jailing of individuals who are suspected of tax crimes.[19] Magnitsky's death is also believed to be linked to the firing of Major-General Anatoli Mikhalkin, formerly the head of the Moscow division of the tax crimes department of the Interior Ministry.[20] Mikhalkin was among those accused by Magnitsky of taking part in fraud."

"In July 2011, Russia’s Investigate Committee for the first time acknowledged that Magnitsky died because prison authorities restricted medical care for him.[25] Russian authorities also opened criminal cases against the two doctors who treated him; Dr. Dmitri Kratov, the chief medical officer at Butyrskaya Prison, and Dr. Larisa Litvinova who managed Magnitsky's treatment towards the end. Dr. Kratov was demoted soon after Magnitsky's death and was charged with involuntary manslaughter from negligence and is facing five years in prison. Dr. Litvinova may receive up to three years in prison if convicted of causing death through professional negligence."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So in response to the Magnitsky scandal, the Russians fired a bunch people, charged others with imprisonable crimes and passed a reform law. What has the US done in response to the Iraq War/Torture Scandals? Oh right we are "looking forward".

[bluedigger]

20. Standard diplomatic reciprocity.

They chose well.

[mokawanis]

21. How about we let those 18 Russians in

and they let Cheney in, but they have to keep him?

[Uncle Joe]

22. Kicked and recommended for the Russians' good taste.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[Tx4obama]

23. Kick n/t

[The Second Stone]

24. Good on both countries for making a start of it

after all these years.

[John2]

25. They can add the

North Carolina Governor and his whole administration to the Human Rights abuse list.