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Congressman Cohen Seeks Sanctions Against Oligarchs’ Enablers

April 18, 2022

Recommends action to restrict visas

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as the Helsinki Commission, today wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken recommending a travel ban on six foreign enablers of Russian oligarchs.

In his letter Congressman Cohen wrote in part:

"As the Administration continues to sanction individuals responsible for enabling Putin's war in Ukraine, I urge you to place travel bans on foreign enablers of Russian oligarchs. Oligarchs, who hire lawyers to engage in abusive lawsuits against journalists to silence them, cannot exert malign influence in our system and the systems of our democratic allies without their enablers. To get at the heart of this problem, the United States must establish deterrents for foreign enablers serving individuals who are undermining democracy and hold to account those enablers who are currently performing this unscrupulous work. One method of deterrence is limiting the privilege of traveling to the United States.

"Among the worst such enablers have been certain lawyers in the United Kingdom. Despite our close ties with the United Kingdom, the nature of its libel laws and the vast amount of blood money in its financial system make it an ideal place for oligarchs to abuse the law to harass and intimidate. The recent Helsinki Commission hearing "Countering Oligarchs, Enablers, and Lawfare"demonstrated how this system of abuse operates and just how destructive such lawsuits can be. Testimony from Bill Browder and Scott Stedman, and a statement for the record from Arabella Pike of HarperCollins, publisher of Catherine Belton's book Putin's People, demonstrate how all three have had to face down aggressive lawfare in their efforts to expose the truth."

See the entire letter naming the enablers here.

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