Story highlights IOC's reinstatement of Russia condemned by Grigory Rodchenkov's lawyer, Jim Walden

Walden calls decision to lift Russia suspension "weakness in the face of evil"

Banned from PyeongChang 2018, Russia welcomed back into Olympic family

(CNN) The International Olympic Committee's decision to reinstate Russia was strongly condemned Thursday, with the lawyer for doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov labeling it "weakness in the face of evil."

The reaction came after the IOC lifted the Russian Olympic Committee's suspension over widespread state-sponsored doping on Wednesday.

Rodchenkov's US lawyer Jim Walden told CNN that the IOC and its president, Thomas Bach, "treat Russia and its glaring acts of aggression with cowardice and appeasement."

"Weakness in the face of evil results in no good outcomes," he added. "What Russia did at Sochi was evil directed at the Olympics and clean athletes. Its reaction since -- lies, blame, threats and retaliation -- is a broader form of evil."

Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow's anti-doping laboratory, fled Russia in 2015 and is currently enrolled in the witness protection program in the US.

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