Retaliating Against U.S., Russia Bars 18 Americans

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Tensions have been increasing between the United States and Russia, and things unraveled even more over the weekend. Russia named 18 Americans who will be barred from entering Russia because of an alleged involvement in human rights violations. Here's NPR's Corey Flintoff.

COREY FLINTOFF, BYLINE: The Russian list includes prominent officials from the Bush administration who are accused of advocating torture during the interrogation of terrorism suspects. They are David Addington, who was chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, and John Yoo, who wrote key opinions on torture as a member of the Bush Justice Department.

Also on the list: two former commanders at Guantanamo and U.S. officials involved in the prosecution of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The Russian foreign minister issued the names on Saturday, a day after the U.S. identified 18 Russians, most of whom are accused of involvement in the death of a whistle-blowing Russian lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky.

That move was mandated by the Sergei Magnitsky Accountability Act, which bars the sanctioned Russian officials from entering the United States and freezes their U.S. assets. Russia has already retaliated by barring American families from adopting Russian orphans.

Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Moscow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.