Scott Ritter is not allowed to travel to Russia

The news from 3 June spread quickly: Scott Ritter, former weapons inspector for the UN Special Commission and journalist, had his passport confiscated at New York airport on his way to the important St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, SPIEF. Three officers from the United States Border Patrol (USBP), a uniformed and armed police unit of the US Customs and Border Protection agency, had taken him from the queue shortly before boarding the plane. It was an order from the State Department. No names. No receipt. No explanation. End of the journey. On 5 June, Ritter tweeted:

The US Government just prevented me from boarding a plane that would have taken me on a journey to Russia where I would promote peace over conflict between our two nations. This is but a roadblock that will be overcome. If you’re interested in learning more about the roots of my stance on Russia and nuclear disarmament, give my book a read. (https://www.claritypress.com/product/disarmament-in-the-time-of-perestroika-arms-control-and-the-end-of-the-soviet-union/)

Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president’s press spokesman, commented rather cautiously, according to TASS: he hinted that Scott Ritter was banned from travelling because he is a former intelligence officer. “Especially to a hostile country,” he added. “And we are an enemy country for them, much like they are for us.” “This is understandable – this is done almost in all countries with regard to former intelligence officers,” Peskov added.
  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov answered a journalist’s question at his press conference in the Republic of Congo: “Scott Ritter is not a Russian citizen. At least, he did not apply for Russian citizenship. Therefore, from a legal point of view, we cannot do anything. But our assessment is not difficult to guess. This is another example (in addition to many) confirming that the United States, which calls itself the leader of the ‘world democracy,’ has long ago become a police state.”
  Despite all the adversities, Ritter was able to take part in the SPIEF panel on 7 June via video link. The topic of the panel: “‘The Empire of Evil’: Has the West successfully demonised Russia?”

Perception versus reality

Here is what Ritter said in the beginning, also referring to the withdrawal of his passport:

We have a situation where the United States government, the European governments, and indeed their co-conspirators in the western mass media are tasked with shaping a perception that Russia is an enemy. And they use this perception to gather their resources, both economically, diplomatically, militarily. But it’s essential that they stay on track. Russia must be configured as an enemy worthy of confrontation, worthy of the allocation of these resources. And then there’s the reality of Russia, and the reality is something that the west cannot allow to emerge. And so we’re in a battle between perception and reality. And anybody who has the audacity to try and correct the record, so to speak, to reach into Russia, to capture the Russian experience and to bring it out and try to expose it to a western audience is deemed as an enemy of the state, literally. […] And I think the fact that I’m not there with you today highlights the reality of what I’m talking about. People who seek to speak the truth about Russia, to educate a western audience about Russia, to demonstrate that Russia is not a threat worthy of the actions of the United States, Europe, NATO, etcetera, are attacked. They’re smeared. Their voices are sought to be silenced. So this is, again, comes down to perception versus reality. And the perception is going to win if you’re not able to put an alternative point of view out there. It’s a constant struggle that we’re all engaged in.

After the international economic forum, Ritter and a film team had planned a 40-day trip from the Pacific to the Baltic Sea. This trip was to document conversations with Russian people and show cultural sites in order to give an American audience an insight into the country and thus better inform them about the reality of Russia. “I viewed this documentary effort as the antidote to the Russophobia that has infected America today”, he told Sputnik.ru. “Unfortunately, none of this was to be.”
  Obviously, Ritter’s participation in St. Petersburg and his documentary were to be prevented. The staging at the airport was intended to intimidate and deter others. An outrageous, anti-democratic act and unfortunately not an isolated case. More and more frequently in Western countries, voices that do not correspond with the prevailing opinion are being silenced.
  Today, we must remember that the right to leave one’s own country (freedom to travel) is a guaranteed fundamental and human right. Not to mention the right to freedom of speech. The whole process shows the weakness of a panic-stricken empire in decline. If a country – (Land of the Free) that calls itself leader of “world democracy” can no longer stand to see its citizens realise legitimate concerns, then where are we?
  Scott Ritter has already stated that he will not be intimidated: “This is but a roadblock that will be overcome.”  •