US senators demanded to impose sanctions against Russian officials because of acts of harassment

Senators of the USA has demanded to impose sanctions against Russian officials because of the persecution of the opposition

A group of senators from the United States sent a letter to Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Minister of Finance Steven Mnuchin. They demanded to impose sanctions against Russian officials because of the persecution of opposition leaders. The letter is published on the website of one of the senators Mark Rubio.

“We urge you to use existing powers in accordance with the laws of the United States, <…> to impose targeted sanctions on officials of the Russian government responsible for these violations of human rights,” the letter reads.

Senators refer to the data the human rights centre “memorial”, according to which in Russia are currently more than 200 political prisoners. “This estimate is probably conservative because it is based on the strict criteria of the Council of Europe. In 2015 this number is significantly increased,” say the senators.

They noted that many Russian officials sanctions, but they are not related to restrictions of the U.S. Treasury. Senators demanded to impose sanctions against, in particular, Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, justice Minister Alexander Konovalov and head of the Federal penitentiary service Gennady Kornienko.

In early September, the congressmen called on the President of the United States Donald trump to impose sanctions due to the crackdown on the protests in the summer in Moscow and St. Petersburg. They asked to punish the responsible for “gross violations of human rights”. The head of the Duma Committee on international Affairs Leonid Slutsky called the calls of American politicians interference in the internal Affairs of Russia.

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