US lawmakers decry Russia vote, warn of blacklist

US lawmakers rebuked Moscow's leadership for "manipulating" recent elections, and urged legislation to blacklist any Russian believed responsible for rights violations from traveling to the United States. At a US Senate hearing focused on corruption and rule of law in Russia, days after tens of thousands of demonstrators marched charging electoral fraud, State Department officials said they recognized a "national awakening" among Russian citizens calling for accountability of their government. Protesters allege the majority won by United Russia in the parliamentary elections early this month were the result of ballot-stuffing amid reports of irregularities by Russian and international observers. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said Moscow's leadership chose to mark the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union "by manipulating elections and engineering a carefully orchestrated political switch" for the vote to ensure Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev swap positions. Putin has accused the United States of provoking the post-vote protests -- a surprise challenge to his 12-year era of domination -- though the White House has praised Medvedev's move to have the Central Election Commission investigate fraud charges. Senator Ben Cardin on Wednesday stressed the ongoing human rights issues within Russia concerning mass arrests, arbitrary detentions, and mistreatment of prisoners. "Unless we put a spotlight on this, it will just continue," Cardin said, calling for support for legislation he introduced that seeks to restrict US visas for accused rights abusers and possibly bring in asset freezes for those violators.  The bill, the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act -- named after a Russian lawyer who died in detention after seeking to expose government corruption -- is pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "The absence of an adequate rule of law doesn't just mean that the judicial system is weak. It also... scares off foreign investment," warned Shaheen, who chairs the subcommittee on European Affairs. State Department officials urged the committee to back stronger ties, which they said is a key tool for influence and highlighting accountability. The United States must aim "to deepen engagement.... In particular we want to expand economic ties" with Russia, said Phil Gordon, assistant secretary of state for the region. While pushing for the new punitive bill for individuals tied to human rights abuses, the lawmakers also favored lifting the long-held Jackson-Vanik amendment that has placed trade curbs on Russia since its introduction 1974. That barrier had been designed to restrict trade privileges to nations that limited human rights and emigration. It was originally framed to put pressure on the former Soviet Union. Gordon told the hearing that US business would benefit from Russia's pending membership in the World Trade Organization, a move he said could help tie Moscow to WTO rules. President Barack Obama has hailed Russia's membership in the global body, expected to be formalized at a December 15-17 WTO summit in Geneva, as a landmark move for US-Russia relations. Gordon emphasized that Washington remained realistic about the impact of Russia's membership, and was "not pretending this is a magic wand." Lawmakers noted that WTO member China is regularly denounced in the US Congress for its lack of transparency. Russia applied to join the trade body in 1993, but talks dragged on and its brief 2008 war with Georgia further delayed the bid. No other country has had to barter so long before being granted entry. China was the previous record holder with 15 years of negotiations for membership. Obama backed the membership, saying last month that Moscow's inclusion would generate more exports for US manufacturers and farmers, which in turn will support well-paying jobs in the United States.