US Seizes Passport of Former Weapons Inspector En Route to Russia

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Facts

  • Former US Marine Corps Intelligence Officer and United Nations Special Commission weapons inspector Scott Ritter was on Monday prevented from boarding a flight from New York to Istanbul, en route to a speaking event in Russia.1
  • Ritter, a whistleblower turned media personality, was scheduled to participate in two panels at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), before being prevented from boarding his Turkish Airlines flight. He also reported that his passport was confiscated by US border officials, and has not yet been returned.2
  • The US Dept. of State declined to comment on the incident. In a statement, a spokesperson said only that the department 'cannot comment on the status of the passport of a private US citizen.'3
  • Ritter was convicted as a sex offender in a 2011 case in Philadelphia, meaning he is required to inform authorities of any foreign travel plans at least 21 days in advance. In his public comments, he said he had informed authorities of his plans ahead of time.2
  • Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said that the incident violated the United States' First and Fourth Amendments protecting the freedom of speech and protecting US citizens from 'unreasonable searches and seizures.'4
  • The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is Russia's largest annual economic event. This year's forum will take place June 5–8.5

Sources: 1PressTV, 2RT, 3Breakingthenews, 4Al Bawaba and 5Sputnik International.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. Ritter is an outspoken supporter of Putin and the Kremlin, even going as far as to visit Russia to give pep talks to Russian soldiers currently fighting in Ukraine. He obviously has contacts with sanctioned leaders in Russia. Additionally, as a former US intelligence official, he's held to additional standards that the average civilian is not. It's not unreasonable that he may face travel restrictions beyond those of ordinary US citizens. While this makes a nice headline, it's hardly news.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Bawaba. Ritter is an independent journalist who is being censored and punished by the US government for his views. Americans are losing freedoms, and this is just one example. Protections for freedom of speech and for the prevention of unnecessary searches and seizures like that of Ritter's bags and passport are enshrined in the American Constitution. How can anyone call Russia an authoritarian state while ignoring this blatant hypocrisy?

Predictions