US Sanctions Chechen Strongman Kadyrov, 4 Other Russians

The United States has financially blacklisted five Russians, including Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, whom it accused of carrying out deadly repression against people trying to expose government corruption.

The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday, as head of the Chechen republic, Kadyrov "oversees an administration involved in disappearances and extra-judicial killings.

One of Kadyrov's political opponents was believed to have been murdered at Kadyrov's direction, after making allegations of torture and ill-treatment taking place in Chechnya, including alleged torture carried out by Kadyrov personally."

In addition, the U.S. accused Ayub Kataev, a prison warden and head of a branch of the Chechen internal affairs ministry, of extrajudicial killing and other human rights violations, including abuse of gay men.

The U.S. alleged that three others, Alexei Sheshenya, Yulia Mayorova, and Andrei Pavlov were involved in the $230 million tax fraud conspiracy uncovered by attorney Sergei Magnitsky at the Russia-based Hermitage Fund.

The U.S. action came under its 2012 law named after Magnitsky, who after exposing the Hermitage fraud was subjected to physical and mental abuse while detained by Russian officials.He died in a pre-trial detention center in Moscow in 2009, with his treatment in captivity drawing worldwide condemnation.

The sanctions block the five individuals from conducting any financial transactions in the United States and also generally prohibits any Americans from doing business with them.

The director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, John Smith, said the U.S. agency "remains committed to holding accountable those involved in the Sergei Magnitsky affair, including those with a role in the criminal conspiracy and fraud scheme that he uncovered.We will continue to use the Magnitsky Act to aggressively target gross violators of human rights in Russia, including individuals responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, and other despicable acts."

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