Visa Denials for European Human Rights Defenders and EU Commissioner
The U.S. State Department has decided not to issue entry visas to five Europeans who participated in the development of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). Among them is former EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton. In a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, published on December 24, these individuals were labeled as "radical activists" using their positions to promote repressive measures against American companies and figures, reports DW. Rubio noted that President Donald Trump clearly indicated that U.S. foreign policy, based on the principle of "America First," would oppose any attempts to violate American sovereignty. He emphasized that "extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors will not be an exception." The USA views the Digital Services Act as a tool for censorship In the State Department document, Thierry Breton is also referred to as the "architect of the DSA," which mandates that internet platforms and social networks in the EU protect users from illegal content, disinformation, and hate speech. Republicans in the U.S. believe that the provisions of the DSA and content moderation requirements are censorship measures aimed at conservatives, although Brussels denies these accusations. In response to the news of his entry ban to the U.S., Breton wrote on social media X: "For our American friends: censorship is not where you think it is." Thierry Breton left his position as EU Commissioner in the fall of 2024 due to disagreements with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. Previously, he had clashed with Elon Musk, the owner of social media X, over non-compliance with European data protection standards. In December 2025, the European Commission imposed a fine of 120 million euros on social media X for insufficient transparency in advertising and user verification systems. In response, the social network deprived the European Commission of the ability to place advertisements. The Trump administration had previously criticized the EU's digital laws, threatening to impose new tariffs on imports from countries with laws that, in its view, "harm" American interests. Nevertheless, the EU stated that it would continue to uphold its regulations. Sanctions affect human rights defenders, including a German NGO Additionally, the U.S. State Department has imposed visa restrictions on human rights defenders from the UK and Germany, as well as experts on combating disinformation and hate speech who advised the European Commission on the interpretation of the DSA. Sanctions have targeted Clare Malford, head of the British NGO Global Disinformation Index (GDI), as well as Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, heads of the German NGO HateAid, and Imran Ahmed, executive director of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in Washington. They face deportation from the U.S. Von Hodenberg and Ballon commented on the situation, stating: "We will not be intimidated by a government that uses accusations of censorship to silence those who advocate for human rights and freedom of speech."
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