The spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, has labelled the American legal system “archaic” and “unable to defend even children's rights” in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, published Monday.
“The U.S. is now trying to take revenge on Russia because in December 2012, Russia announced publicly that the American legal system is archaic and unable to defend children's rights,” Markin said in the interview.
“Russia has repudiated America's moral right to impose its standards on the rest of the world,” he said.
Markin referred to the 2012 law which introduced a series of measures against the U.S., including a formal ban on Americans adopting Russian children. Russian lawmakers pointed out that Russian children often get physically molested by their new parents in the U.S.
Rights activists have criticized the law as making Russian children hostages to politics and preventing many gravely ill ones from receiving high-end medical treatment in the U.S.
The law was passed in response to the so-called 2012 Magnitsky Act passed by the U.S. Congress that aimed to punish Russians responsible for the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009.
Markin also accused the U.S. of “directly managing the remnants of the Ukrainian state,” “setting the Ukrainians and people of the Baltic states against Russia,” and orchestrating a “mass propaganda” campaign.
In June, Markin, who in recent years has become the main mouthpiece of the Russian legal system, questioned whether the 1969 Apollo 11 spaceflight mission to the Moon had taken place.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
