Pentagon has a $1 billion contract with Rosoboronexport,

Letter from the President and CEO

Imagine if, during this politically divisive presidential campaign season, Republicans and Democrats in Congress found a way to work together. Now imagine that they took united action on one of the world's most pressing and challenging issues.
Imagine no longer. In the last Rightswire, I told you about a budding bipartisan effort to block the flow of Russian weapons into Syria, where the Assad regime is using them to commit atrocities. Now, as I discussed in the Houston Chronicle, the effort is growing. A group of Senators, led by Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Durbin (D-IL), are pressing for a resolution condemning Russia for arming Assad.
The resolution builds on the bipartisan push for the United States government to cut its own ties to the Russian state arms dealer. We helped expose the fact that the Pentagon has a $1 billion contract with Rosoboronexport, and both Republican and Democratic members of Congress are calling on the Obama administration to cancel the contract and impose sanctions on Rosoboronexport.
These bipartisan actions are drawing attention to the key role that third parties play in mass atrocities. Historically, those seeking to stop the worst human rights abuses have focused on the direct perpetrators. But mass atrocities are not simply spasms of hatred and violence. They are organized crimes requiring infrastructure, planning and resources. For several years, we've urged the U.S. government to target enablers—the countries, companies and individuals who provide the means to attack civilians. The idea is to disrupt the supply chain that fuels these atrocities.
It's encouraging that Members of Congress from both parties join forces to take up this important challenge.
Sincerely,
Elisa Massimino
President and CEO
Human Rights First