You are absolutely correct in doing what you did and I think no one should punish you for having done that.

Punishing in that way is a unilateral action without taking into account anything, least of all fairness, the facts or your rights. The same way people are being hit by some accounts for using a certain bid bot. The broader arguments are not even sound enough to ban vote after 3.5 days but people are letting one party punish people for making a perfectly permissable choice. All in the name of anti-spam war. It is just wrong. The system is flawed - it needs work. Riding rough-shod over people is not the way to proceed.