EDINBURGH, April 25 (RIA Novosti), Mark Hirst – The US should face much harsher sanctions than those being sought against Russia for the ongoing presence of American forces in Cuba's Guantanamo, political thinker and MIT professor Noam Chomsky told RIA Novosti.
Chomsky pointed to the occupation of Guantanamo Bay which he said was “stolen at gunpoint from Cuba in 1903 and still held despite constant Cuban efforts since independence to recover it.”
In relation to Crimea the political philosopher added that, “the invasion and annexation were clearly unlawful, hence the referendum too, though no informed observer doubts that it was probably not too far from reality.”
Chomsky added that he would “pay attention to those who call for sanctions [against Russia] when they call for much harsher actions against the US" for the only current case that he can think of "that’s at all comparable” is Guantanamo.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament backed by far-right movements ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the constitution and scheduled an early presidential election for May 25. The coup sparked concerns, including in Crimea, about the dangers of ultranationalist forces in the country's central government.
A referendum in Crimea last month saw over 96 percent of Crimean citizens vote to join Russia. Following the vote, Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and signed a treaty to rejoin Russia on March 18. The reunification treaty was ratified by the Russian president and parliament the same week.
Professor Chomsky has come under attack recently by right-wing political journalists in Britain, like Nick Cohen who Chomsky described as a “comic figure.”
Writing in the conservative Spectator magazine last month, Cohen accused the political writer of double standards by “concentrating his criticism on the West and ignoring crimes against humanity by others.”
