Russia blacklists 12 Americans in retaliation for US sanctions

The Russian Foreign Ministry published a list of 12 Americans barred from entering the country on Saturday after the United States expanded sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

"Last year we published the Guantanamo list of 18 persons to match the number of Russians in the Magnitsky list. This time we acted reciprocally and denied entry to 12 Americans," ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters.

The blacklist included persons related to legalizing and using torture against inmates of the Guantanamo prison in Cuba, and US servicemen involved in abuses against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq or those who concealed crimes.
In particular, Moscow banned entry for US congressman James Moran, as a response to a similar move taken by Washington against Russian State Duma, lower house of the parliament, deputy Adam Delimkhanov.

"We have said many times that it's useless to talk to us in the language of sanctions. Such steps will have consequences," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Lukashevich as saying.

The spokesman also said the fresh US sanctions against Moscow "will inevitably boomerang on American business that is oriented to the Russian market."

Washington unleashed a new wave of sanctions against Russia's energy, defense and banking sectors on Wednesday, followed by the European Union with relatively limited sanctions.

Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn

19-20/7/14

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