Friday, February 22, 2013

Russia Denies Visa's To U.S. Human Rights Violators


Image via: Griid.org

Russia denied entry to a former commander of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in retaliation against U.S. moves to punish Russian human rights violators, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov said.

Russia denied a visa to Rear Admiral Jeffrey Harbeson, former commander at the Guantanamo U.S. Naval Base in Cuba who now oversees Europe, NATO and Russia affairs at the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, a state-linked newspaper said in December.


"We have already denied entry to some American general, who was commander at the Guantanamo base," Denisov said in response to a question about blacklisted Americans, Interfax news agency said. He did not specify the timing or give the general's name.
In response to the Magnitsky Act, Russia rushed through a law introducing similar measures against Americans it accuses of violating the rights of Russians abroad.
"It includes judges, agents, representatives of security services, prosecutors ... as well as congressmen who were the authors of the Magnitsky Act and Americans who have violated the rights of children adopted from Russia," he said on Friday.
Pushkov said the first such list had appeared in October 2012 and included 11 Americans linked to the Guantanamo U.S. Naval Base in Cuba and alleged secret CIA prisons in Europe.
Campaigners say the indefinite detentions of inmates at the U.S. base, including alleged September 11 conspirators, are illegal. 
Putin, has repeatedly criticized Washington for its treatment of Guantanamo inmates, suggesting the United States had no moral right to lecture Russia on human rights.
Via: "Reuters"

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