Russia blacklists 12 Americans in retaliation

Moscow, July 20: The Russian foreign ministry published a list of 12 Americans barred from entering the country after the US expanded sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

"Last year we published the Guantanamo list of 18 persons to match the number of Russians in the Magnitsky list. This time we acted reciprocally and denied entry to 12 Americans," Xinhua quoted ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich as saying Saturday.

The blacklist included persons related to legalising and using torture against inmates of the Guantanamo prison in Cuba, and US servicemen involved in abuses against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Moscow banned entry for US Congressman James Moran as a response to a similar move by Washington against Russian State Duma, lower house of parliament, deputy Adam Delimkhanov.

US imposed new sanctions on Russia's energy, defence and banking sectors Wednesday, followed by the European Union (EU) with relatively limited sanctions.

IANS