US, Russia in human rights spat

Russia on Saturday promptly banned a number of US officials from entering the country, in a tit-for-tat for the US ban on about two dozen Russian officials accused of human rights violations from entering US.

Under a new law, the Obama administration barred 18 Russians from entering the US and froze any assets they may have there while placing some other more highly placed officials, including the head of the Russian region of Chechnya, on a list not publicly revealed.

The latter category involves those like the convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and then handed over to US authorities.

The Russian list included 18 Americans involved in human rights violations at the Guantanamo prison camp, or having had a role in the detention of Russian citizens in third countries.

The Magnitsky list of the US primarily covers mid-level tax, police, jail and court officials while on the Russian list are those like David Addington, who was vice president Dick Cheney's chief of staff; John Yoo, assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel of the department of justice from 2001 to 2003, and the author of memos backing torture of suspects; Jed Rakoff, US district judge for the southern district of New York; Preetinder Bharara, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, as well as lower officials and two former Guantanamo commanders.

''We should note particularly that, unlike the American list compiled arbitrarily, our list features primarily those took part in legalising torture and the indefinite detention of prisoners in the Guantanamo special prison camp, and those involved in the abduction and removal to other countries of Russian citizens and in threats to their lives and health,'' Alexander Lukashevich, the foreign ministry spokesman, said in a statement on the ministry web site.

''This war of lists was not our decision, but we do not have the right to ignore such open blackmail,'' he said. ''It is time for the politicians in Washington to finally realise that it is fruitless to base a relationship with a country such as Russia in the spirit of mentorship and overt dictation.''

The Magnitsky list was compiled by the Obama administration in compliance with the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act. Sixteen of the former officials on it have been implicated in a $230 million tax fraud that Magnitsky uncovered in 2009. Two others on the list are Chechens suspected of murder.

''The Magnitsky Act will be a permanent serious negative factor in our relations, which should not be underestimated,'' Alexei Pushkov, head of the foreign affairs committee of the lower house of parliament, told the Interfax news agency.

The Obama administration has reportedly also compiled a second, secret list of additional Russian officials who face the same sanctions.