Fundamental rights in danger

Until now, we have assumed that violations of the law are punished through investigations, indictments, due process, and verdicts. Now there are more and more cases (more than 59 to date) in which people are being subjected to disproportionately severe restrictions on their freedom and economic sanctions. These people do not even have to be citizens of the EU. Examples include the German journalist Hüseyin Doğru and the Swiss citizen Jacques Baud.

The consequences for those affected are that, largely excluded from public scrutiny, they are effectively deprived of their fundamental rights in order to 'encourage' them to change their behavior.

For those affected, this means:

• No entry into the EU and no transit through EU territory (de facto freedom of movement within the EU revoked).
• Assets within the EU frozen, i.e., no access to bank accounts or real estate (prohibition on disposal).
• Prohibition on providing financial means or economic resources, and prohibition on providing services (de facto professional ban within the EU).
• Prohibition on continuing contracts that have already been concluded.

According to the new EU Directive (EU) 2024/1226, violations of sanctions, such as providing funds or circumventing sanctions, are now considered criminal offenses that can be punished with substantial fines and/or up to five years' imprisonment. This applies to those subject to sanctions as well as to people who wish to support them financially. For those affected, the European Court of Justice is the only point of contact, with horrendous legal costs.

Here two articles about these measures from the Berliner Zeitung:
- Kontosperre gegen einen Berliner Journalisten
- Der Rechtsstaat ist ausgehebelt

Below is a link to a petition against this undemocratic abolition of our fundamental rights, as such measures represent a unilateral instrument of power outside the third branch of government (the judiciary). The association Unsere Verfassung – Verein zur Erneuerung der Bundesrepublik an ihren eigenen Idealen e.V. (Our Constitution – Association for the Renewal of the Federal Republic of Germany Based on its Own Ideals) also criticizes this restriction of fundamental rights and has invited guests to an event on May 23, the 77th anniversary of the Basic Law, at the stele wall at the rear of the Reichstag: "Cherry wood stele with Article 1 in platinum".

Read more https://unsere-verfassung.de/Newsletter/2026-02-11-Ankue-Stele-Artikel1.htm
and petition https://www.openpetition.eu/petition/online/petition-gegen-die-eu-sanktionierung-von-privatpersonen-innerhalb-und-ausserhalb-der-eu-2

Comment

For further confidential communication, we recommend that you include a reference to a secure messenger, such as Session, Bitmessage, or similar, below the comment text. To prevent the use of this form by spam robots, please enter the portrayed character set in the left picture below into the right field.

CC License   Member in the European Civil Liberties Network   Bundesfreiwilligendienst   We don't store user data   World Beyond War   No use of JavaScript   For transparency in the civil society