US Sanctions Five Europeans Including Two British Citizens Over Alleged Pressure on American Platforms
The US State Department has sanctioned five Europeans, including two British citizens—Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, and Clare Melford, head of the Global Disinformation Index. These sanctions are visa-related rather than financial Magnitsky-style measures and are aimed at individuals alleged to have pressured American platforms to censor, demonetize, or suppress American viewpoints.
Ahmed, who is based in Washington and reportedly has an American wife and child, is facing deportation, while Melford reportedly faces visa revocation. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers defended the sanctions as targeting the "censorship-NGO ecosystem" and the extraterritorial censorship of Americans.
None of the sanctioned individuals are current UK or EU officials. UK Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey engaged in a public exchange over whether these sanctions or related US policies amount to foreign interference, referencing the Trump administration's aims to cultivate resistance in the UK as evidence.
Imran Ahmed previously worked for the Labour Party and is said to be close to Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. Senator Marco Rubio was cited stating the sanctions target those who lead efforts to censor or suppress American speech.
