Jim Carrey, Margaret Atwood Among 100 Canadians Banned From Russia

Russia has banned another 100 Canadians who've spoken in support of Ukraine, including two of Canada's most famous citizens: actor Jim Carrey and poet and novelist Margaret Atwood, author of the dystopian classic The Handmaid's Tale.

On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry revealed that the two had been tacked onto the expanding list of those who may no longer enter the country.

"This is not a joke: Russia just sanctioned Jim Carrey," Washington Post journalist Mary Ilyushina tweeted on Monday morning. "He and a hundred other Canadians are banned from entering the country after speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that 23 Russians had been added to his country's sanctions list. Ukraine will also receive an additional $500 million in military aid from Canada.

Aside from Carrey and Atwood, 98 notable Canadians—many of whom are well-known politicians, media figures, businesspeople and activists—were also prohibited entry into Russia.

The list of newly banned citizens includes Vikings actress Katheryn Winnick and writer-slash-filmmaker David Bezmozgis, who has worked on Orphan Black.

"In response to the ongoing practice of imposing sanctions by the regime of Prime Minister J. Trudeau against the Russian leadership, politicians and parliamentarians, representatives of the business community, experts and journalists, cultural figures, as well as anyone whom the Canadian Russophobic authorities consider objectionable, entry is closed on the basis of reciprocity for 100 Canadian citizens," the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote in its announcement of the sanctions.

The ministry alleged that those included on the list had been "directly involved in the formation of an aggressive anti-Russian course."

Carrey slammed Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, in an April tweet promoting a CNN film about opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

"In Daniel Roher's doc 'Navalny,' one brave man and his family stand up against intolerable evil," the star tweeted. "Navalny himself exposes Czar Putin and his soulless minions in their fiendish conspiracy to poison him, suppress the truth and intimidate the Russian people."

In February, Atwood was among a group of more than 1,000 writers to sign an open letter "condemn[ing] Russia's invasion of Ukraine." The letter was published by PEN International, a literary and free expression organization, and also included authors Salman Rushdie and Paul Auster.

Hollywood A-listers Sean Penn and Ben Stiller have also been banned from Russia. Penn loaned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky one of his Oscar statuettes last week in a show of solidarity with the war-torn country.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Carrey and Atwood for comment.

Updated 11/14/2022, 2:08 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.

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