Russia censures ‘unfriendly’ US policies

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says the antagonistic policies of the United States have marred Moscow-Washington ties.

“The present complications in the Russia-US relations are connected with the fact that the American side took a number of unfriendly steps, causing an acute reaction in the Russian community and inflicting damage to our cooperation in various fields,” Ryabkov said at the Thursday meeting of Russia’s Council for People’s Diplomacy.

The Russian diplomat lashed out at the US for meddling in Russia’s internal political affairs, particularly, Washington’s efforts to influence Russia’s election processes at all levels.

Ryabkov slammed Washington for adopting anti-Russia Magnitsky Act in 2012, which allows US authorities to deny visas and freeze assets of Russians whom they regard as human rights violators.

Tensions have mounted between Moscow and Washington since the death of Russian whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009.

The 37-year-old had exposed what he claimed was a $230-million tax fraud carried out by Russian authorities before being arrested by the same officials who he believed were linked to the scheme.

According to an inquiry ordered by the Kremlin human rights council in 2011, Magnitsky had been harshly beaten on numerous occasions by prison officials who also denied him medical treatment.

Ryabkov pointed out that in response to the US hostile legislation Russia has adopted a series of legal measures, including the adoption of Dima Yakovlev Law in December 2012, which bans the international adoption of Russian children in the United States.

The bill is named after Russian toddler Dmitri Yakovlev who died in 2008 of heat stroke due to his adoptive American father’s negligence.

“Apart from the ban on adoptions, this law introduces a number of sanctioning measures against US citizens who are involved in human rights abuses, including the abductions and illegal arrests of Russian citizens in third countries, and also introduces restrictions to foreign citizens’ participation in Russian political NGO management,” Ryabkov stated.

On April 13, 2013, Russia also released a list naming 18 Americans banned from entering Russia over alleged human rights violations.