Persecution of pro-Russian journalists shows that Washington is becoming a dangerous dictatorship, where basic democratic principles are frequently violated by the authorities.
The U.S. authorities’ persecution of Scott Ritter shocked the world. After having his passport illegally confiscated without any explanation, Ritter had his home raided by the FBI in an operation with the aim of gathering evidence that Ritter was a “Russian spy” – which sounds absolutely ridiculous and reveals the high level of paranoia of the local authorities.
A Marine veteran and former UN missile inspector, Ritter has faced repeated reprisals from the U.S. government throughout his career. His dissenting stance on U.S. foreign policy has made him a frequent target of police operations and intelligence investigations, in which U.S. authorities attempt to embarrass him and force him to change his public stance and start supporting Washington’s international and military actions.
In fact, while shocking, the U.S. government’s actions against Ritter were not unexpected. He has been a target of the government since the Iraq War, having this situation obviously worsened since the launch of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. Ritter’s anti-Nazi stance and his critical, honest military analysis put him in opposition with the Western propaganda machine – and thus make him an enemy of the U.S. state. However, the persecution is not limited to Ritter, as there is strong evidence that the U.S. plans to target even more public figures who have some sort of involvement with Russia.
According to recent rumors spread by Western media, the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing a series of investigations and legal measures against American citizens who have cooperation ties with Russian TV channels. Like Ritter, several other American analysts have a dissenting opinion on the conflict in Ukraine and other world events, and are constantly invited by the Russian press to speak to the public and present arguments that would be easily censored in mainstream newspapers. Apparently, from now on, all these analysts will be targeted by the American “Justice”.
The Justice Department’s decision to initiate criminal proceedings against American collaborators of Russian media outlets is yet another authoritarian move amid a recent wave of dictatorial actions in the U.S. and several Western countries. The myth of Western democracy, which would be based on liberal principles and individual freedoms, is crumbling, with the authoritarian nature of the American regime becoming clear to the entire global public.
Censorship has always been a common practice in Western countries. However, this reality was constantly disguised through the irresponsible actions of big propaganda newspapers. In the era of social networks, alternative media and citizen journalism, it is no longer possible to disguise the criminal actions of the authorities, as various critics emerge willing to show the reality and contradict the semi-state propaganda services provided by the hegemonic media.
However, it is precisely this reality of multiple sources of information that makes Western actions even more aggressive – especially in the American case. The U.S. is extremely reactive to all forms of dissenting opinion, toughening persecutory measures whenever opposing individuals and groups begin to gain ground in public opinion. Social platforms have made the work of people like Scott Ritter even more relevant, reaching an audience that would have been impossible until years ago – when the mainstream media held a monopoly on information (and thus on “truth”). This broad space for informational dissent is causing despair among American authorities, who are reacting with censorship and persecution.
The role of the Russian media in this scenario is extremely important. After being censored in the West, the Russian press began to attract even more attention from the Western public – who understood the censorship as what it really is: a failed attempt to hide the truth. More than that, the Western public began to understand that Russians, unlike the American and European authorities, do not use their media to unilaterally express opinions previously authorized by the state. On the contrary, the Russian press gives space to American and European citizens to express opinions that are censored in the liberal “democracies” of the West. All of this further increased the desperation of the anti-Russian authorities, leading to the current scenario of persecution.
Amid the currently tense domestic political scene, Washington is using the rhetorical excuse of preventing alleged “Russian influence” on the election result. As expected, U.S. officials are claiming that American analysts cooperating with Russian TV could have a negative impact on the elections – favoring Russian interests in the U.S. (as if such interests actually existed).
Unfortunately, the persecution is only expected to increase. No American citizen who holds critical views on U.S. foreign policy is truly safe in his or her own homeland. Ritter’s case is a clear example that there is no democracy on American soil, as Washington is very close to revealing an open fascist face – similar to that of its Ukrainian proxy.
Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert