US senators have introduced a bill recognizing the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism
Kyiv • UNN
US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal have introduced a bill recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under US law that would allow US citizens to sue Russia for crimes such as torture and hostage-taking, and receive compensation at the expense of confiscated Russian assets.
US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal presented on Thursday, June 20, a bill recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in accordance with American law. Currently, only four countries are state sponsors of terrorism in the United States: Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Syria. this is reported by The Hill, reports UNN.
Details
The bill will require the State Department to classify Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, which will open access to a new package of sanctions, limit any foreign aid from the United States and seriously limit Russia's immunity from lawsuits in the United States.
If the bill is passed, US citizens will be able to sue the state that sponsors terror for crimes such as torture, extrajudicial executions and hostage-taking. If these claims are satisfied, the plaintiffs will be able to receive compensation from the confiscated assets of the country against which the sanctions were imposed.
According to the resolution, Graham and Blumenthal allow diplomatic exceptions, as well as exceptions for agriculture and medical trade. The bill also allows the US president to rule that Russia is no longer a state sponsor of terror without congressional approval.
According to The Hill, the document was presented two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signed a new defense agreement.
"We are not trying to behave provocatively, calling Putin a state sponsor of terrorism. After the defense agreement between North Korea and Russia, it's time for us to fight back. Now is a moment that is more important than all other moments. Therefore, I would call on the administration, given what Putin has done, to go all the way and call his regime what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism," Graham said.
In turn, Blumenthal said that he spoke with the Biden administration about the resolution, and noted that they "understand the goal."
In a statement to The Hill, a State Department official noted that adding Russia to the list of states sponsoring terrorism would be "neither the most effective nor the strongest way to hold Russia accountable.
The State Department official added that the inclusion in the list "will affect the unprecedented multilateral coordination that made our sanctions so effective.
addition
Putin's visit to North Korea was the first visit of a Russian president to this country in the last 24 years. North Korea and Russia have agreed to provide immediate military assistance to each other in the event of armed aggression.
