By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – Following the United States’ release of the 18-name Magnitsky List on Friday, Moscow released a corresponding list of 18 Americans banned from traveling to the Russian Federation over their alleged human rights violations.

Among the American officials on the Russian list are David Addington, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney and provided legal support for interrogation policies; John Yoo, a high-ranking Bush administration lawyer who wrote several major opinions on torture; and Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller and Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson, both of whom commanded detention operations in Guantánamo Bay.

The remaining fourteen U.S. officials on the list are primarily prosecutors and special agents whom Russia believes responsible for violating the rights of Russians abroad.  Most were involved in cases against convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout or recently sentenced drug-trafficking pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.

Those on the list are only banned from travel to Russia, an endeavor most would not normally be engaged in anyway.  Yoo merely mocked the Russian’s move, quipping, “Darn, there goes my judo match with Putin.”

The Russian list was created under the authority of the Dima Yakovlev law, which came into effect in January and also ended American adoption of Russian children.

According to an interview Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov gave to the Itar-Tass news agency, the list also contains a “secret” addendum of more names, as the U.S. list reportedly contains.

The Russian government defended its answer to the U.S. Magnitsky List, gravely explaining that its actions were merely a justifiable response.

“We would like to draw particular [attention] to the fact that, unlike the American list compiled arbitrarily, our list features primarily those implicated in torture and the indefinite detention of prisoners in the Guantanamo prison camp, as well as those involved in the abduction and removal to other countries of Russian citizens and in threats to their lives and health,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“This war of lists was not our decision, but we do not have the right to ignore such open blackmail,” it continued. “It’s time for the politicians in Washington to finally realize that it is fruitless to base a relationship with a country such as Russia on an attitude of mentorship and overt dictation.”

Moscow has maintained the opinion that the Magnitsky Act and List release by Washington directly interfere with Russian domestic issues.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Magnitsky Act an “absurd” law that “delivers a strong blow to bilateral relations,” while President Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that “the Magnitsky case should not be discussed outside Russia, it’s unacceptable.”

Despite the list war, the United States intends to continue to work with Russia on issues of mutual interest, according to White House spokesman Jay Carney.  However, Carney made clear that, “[h]uman rights is an issue that we have disagreements with [Russia] on at times and, you know, we are very frank and candid about that. And we will engage with the Russians on those issues as well as the others that we have.”

Even so, Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian State Duma’s international affairs committee, warns that the list war “will be present, possibly, for a very long time in our relations and will poison them.”

The full list (courtesy of RT) released by Moscow on Saturday is as follows:

US officials purportedly involved in legalizing torture and indefinite detention of prisoners:

1) David Spears Addington, Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney (2005-2009)
2) John Choon Yoo, Assistant US Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice (2001-2003)
3)  Geoffrey D. Miller, retired US Army Major General, commandant of Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), the organization that runs the Guantanamo Bay detention camps (2002-2003)
4) Jeffrey Harbeson, US Navy officer, commandant of Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), the organization that runs the Guantanamo Bay detention camps (2010-2012)

US officials purportedly involved in violations of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens abroad:

5) Jed Saul Rakoff, Senior US District Judge for the Southern District of New York
6) Preetinder S. Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
7) Michael J. Garcia, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
8) Brendan R. McGuire, Assistant US Attorney
9) Anjan S. Sahni, Assistant US Attorney
10) Christian R. Everdell, Assistant US Attorney
11) Jenna Minicucci Dabbs, Assistant US Attorney
12) Christopher L. Lavigne, Assistant US Attorney
13) Michael Max Rosensaft, Assistant US Attorney
14) Louis J. Milione, Special Agent, US Drug Enforcement Administration
15) Sam Gaye, Senior Special Agent, US Drug Enforcement Administration
16) Robert F. Zachariasiewicz, Special Agent, US Drug Enforcement Administration
17) Derek S. Odney, Special Agent, US Drug Enforcement Administration
18) Gregory A. Coleman, Special Agent, US Federal Bureau of Investigation

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Russia Hits Back at US with its Own Blacklist – 13 April 2013

BBC News – Russia Responds in Kind to US Magnitsky List – 13 April 2013

New York Times – Russia Bars 18 Americans After Sanctions by U.S. – 13 April 2013

RIA Novosti – Russia Publishes Its Answer to Magnitsky List – 13 April 2013

RT – Russia Strikes Back with Magnitsky List Response – 13 April 2013