US sanctions Russia’s FSB over wrongful detention of Americans
Sanctions also target four senior commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
27 April 2023 - 22:37
byHumeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis
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Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a court in Moscow, Russia, April 18 2023. Picture: EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/REUTERS
Washington — The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia’s domestic security service FSB and the intelligence unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accusing them of being responsible or complicit in the wrongful detention of Americans overseas.
The sanctions also targeted four senior commanders within IRGC's IO, although among them were at least one individual who had been already been subject to previous US sanctions. FSB, which was targeted because officials said it was involved in the detention of at least one US citizen whose name was not disclosed, was also subject to previous US sanctions.
Senior Biden administration officials said Thursday’s move aimed to show that there would be consequences for those who tried to use US citizens for political leverage or seek concessions from Washington.
“Our actions are a clear and direct warning to those around the world who wrongfully detain US nationals of the potential consequences of their actions,” secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The move, the US officials said, aimed to promote accountability, and by doing so prevent and deter further politically motivated detentions of Americans abroad. He added that Thursday’s sanctions were just the beginning and that there was possibly more to come.
Russia and Iran, two US adversaries, hold a number of American citizens in their prisons, detentions Washington says are wrongful and politically charged.
In March Russia’s FSB arrested Evan Gershkovich, a US reporter working for the Wall Street Journal and accused him of espionage, a charge he has denied. Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, has also been serving a 16-year jail sentence in a Russian penal colony over spying accusations. He denies any wrongdoing.
The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal released a joint letter calling for Gershkovich’s release, stressing that he is being detained solely for doing his job as a reporter.
“As editors and publishers of some of America’s largest news organisations, we are united in calling for his immediate release. Reporting is not a crime,” the letter reads.
Ties between the US and Russia have sunk to their worst in decades following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, however the two former Cold War foes have managed to carry out compartmentalised diplomacy, which resulted in two prisoner swaps last year.
In one, Washington has secured the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner who was held in Russia on drug charges, by commuting the sentence of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The plight of Americans detained by foreign governments has moved into the spotlight with Griner’s case. Although the US government does not provide figures, there are more than 60 such detainees, according to the James Foley Foundation, named after an American journalist abducted and killed in Syria.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
US sanctions Russia’s FSB over wrongful detention of Americans
Sanctions also target four senior commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
Washington — The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia’s domestic security service FSB and the intelligence unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accusing them of being responsible or complicit in the wrongful detention of Americans overseas.
The sanctions also targeted four senior commanders within IRGC's IO, although among them were at least one individual who had been already been subject to previous US sanctions. FSB, which was targeted because officials said it was involved in the detention of at least one US citizen whose name was not disclosed, was also subject to previous US sanctions.
Senior Biden administration officials said Thursday’s move aimed to show that there would be consequences for those who tried to use US citizens for political leverage or seek concessions from Washington.
“Our actions are a clear and direct warning to those around the world who wrongfully detain US nationals of the potential consequences of their actions,” secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The move, the US officials said, aimed to promote accountability, and by doing so prevent and deter further politically motivated detentions of Americans abroad. He added that Thursday’s sanctions were just the beginning and that there was possibly more to come.
Russia and Iran, two US adversaries, hold a number of American citizens in their prisons, detentions Washington says are wrongful and politically charged.
In March Russia’s FSB arrested Evan Gershkovich, a US reporter working for the Wall Street Journal and accused him of espionage, a charge he has denied. Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, has also been serving a 16-year jail sentence in a Russian penal colony over spying accusations. He denies any wrongdoing.
The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal released a joint letter calling for Gershkovich’s release, stressing that he is being detained solely for doing his job as a reporter.
“As editors and publishers of some of America’s largest news organisations, we are united in calling for his immediate release. Reporting is not a crime,” the letter reads.
Ties between the US and Russia have sunk to their worst in decades following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, however the two former Cold War foes have managed to carry out compartmentalised diplomacy, which resulted in two prisoner swaps last year.
In one, Washington has secured the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner who was held in Russia on drug charges, by commuting the sentence of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The plight of Americans detained by foreign governments has moved into the spotlight with Griner’s case. Although the US government does not provide figures, there are more than 60 such detainees, according to the James Foley Foundation, named after an American journalist abducted and killed in Syria.
At least several of them are jailed in Iran.
Reuters
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