Reprinted from shadowproof.com by Kevin Gosztola
Whistleblowers, former diplomats, and intelligence agency employees have condemned the United States government for denying entry to former British ambassador Craig Murray.
Murray is currently scheduled to present the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence to CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou at the end of September. He also is supposed to speak at a conference planned by World Beyond War around the same time. But the U.S. government has refused Murray "entry clearance."
Whistleblowers Bill Binney, Thomas Drake, Diane Roark, Kirk Wiebe, Coleen Rowley, Matthew Hoh, Peter Van Buren, and Kiriakou, along with individuals like former diplomat Ann Wright and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, signed on to a statement put out by the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence.
"News that former British Ambassador Craig Murray has been denied entry to the United States under the regular visa waiver program is both shocking and appalling," the statement declared. "We Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence (SAAII) had invited Craig to be Master of Ceremonies at our award ceremony honoring John Kiriakou, the CIA torture whistleblower (more details at samadamsaward.ch), this September as part of the 'No War 2016' conference."
"Now we're wondering which agency's long arms have reached out to disrupt our ceremony and to try to silence Craig."
Director of World Beyond War, David Swanson, reacted, "This attempt to prevent a truth-teller from speaking in support of nonviolence is absolutely shameful. This is not a policy created to represent any view of the U.S. public, and we are not going to stand for it."
Murray was the British ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004. He criticized Uzbekistan's repressive government, and when he was removed from his post, it occurred shortly after he told the Financial Times that MI6 was using intelligence Uzbek authorities obtained through torture.
Since his departure, Murray has become a defender of WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief Julian Assange. He has harshly criticized the illegality and crimes surrounding the Iraq War. He has spoken out about British and U.S. intelligence dealings with the Uzbekistan security services and periodically calls attention to aspects of the U.S. relationship with Uzbekistan.
Murray shared in a post on his personal blog, "Like millions of British passport holders I have frequently visited the USA before and never been refused entry clearance under the visa waiver program."
He adds, "It is worth noting that despite the highly critical things I have published about Putin, about civil liberties in Russia and the annexation of the Crimea, I have never been refused entry to Russia. The only two countries that have ever refused me entry clearance are Uzbekistan and the USA. What does that tell you?"
Murray plans to apply for a visa, however, it is entirely possible his application will not be approved by the time he is supposed to travel.
Van Buren, a State Department whistleblower, wrote on his personal blog, "No one has told Murray why he cannot travel to the U.S., though he has been here numerous times over the past 38 years. Murray learned of his travel bar when applying for the online clearance the U.S. requires of all "visa free" travelers. Murray was electronically informed to contact the State Department to see if he might qualify otherwise."
"Ambassador Murray was stopped by what the State Department and Homeland Security calls 'a hit.'"
Van Buren described the process:
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
3
3
2
