Two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new defense agreement, US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill to declare Russia a — sponsor of terror.
This was reported by The Hill.
Russia state — sponsor of terror
Democrat Richard Blumenthal calls Putin and Kim two of the most evil authoritarian leaders in the world. The signal from the United States that Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism is as important as increased sanctions.
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— This message to the world is as important in a moral sense as any practical consequences. Russia deserves to be in this small selective club of murderers who commit evil, the Democrat said.
In the last Congress, Lindsey Graham introduced a resolution in the Senate to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The resolution passed the Senate, but it was not binding on the State Department.
What the new bill provides for
The new bill will already require the US State Department to classify Russia as a state — sponsor of terrorism, and this will open the way to new sanctions 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 country for crimes such as torture, extrajudicial killings and the taking of prisoners. If these claims are successful, the plaintiffs will be able to receive compensation from the confiscated assets of the country.
Precedent in history
Previously, the court ordered Iran to pay almost $9 billion to the victims of the explosion of the US Marine barracks in Lebanon, and North Korea — pay more than $500 million to the family of student Otto Warmbier, who died in a North Korean prison.
