20260414 Sanktionen gegen Menschen

Human Rights

... are guaranteed to every person under the German Basic Law, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Nevertheless, in recent years we have increasingly seen "politicians" impose sanctions on individuals through regulations, without giving them the opportunity to have these sanctions reviewed by courts other than the General Court of the European Union — and this process takes years ...

About sanctions against individuals in the EU under EU Directive EU-2024/1226, as well as against (allegedly left-wing) associations we have reported 2 month ago. What these measures have in common is that those affected have virtually no chance of legal recourse, and the "measures" against them are taken by private institutions (banks, publishers, landlords, etc.).

In addition to the article linked above, we unfortunately have to mention further cases. One of these involves Jacques Baud, a Swiss citizen who has been living in Brussels for years. SRF writes about him: "His assets are frozen, and EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds, financial assets, or economic resources available to him. Furthermore, he is not permitted to enter or travel through the EU."

EU sanctions decisions are based on intelligence reports, so all that is known about the allegations against him is that the 70-year-old was formerly responsible for the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact states at the Swiss Strategic Intelligence Service, is fluent in Russian, and has written books about Russia and Ukraine. In his opinion, Ukraine bears some of the blame for the war of aggression that Russia is waging against it. Freedom of expression is also one of the inalienable fundamental rights of every human being.

No evidence or circumstantial evidence

The articles linked below report on another case. Hüseyin Dogru, a journalist of Kurdish descent, is also subject to sanctions under the aforementioned EU directive and will soon be homeless. As with Jacques Baud, there is no evidence of "collaboration with Russian state agencies." Nevertheless, his accounts have been frozen, and the Deutsche Bundesbank, which is responsible for enforcing financial sanctions, allows him to withdraw only €506 per month. Yet, according to a ruling by the highest court, a single person is entitled to €563 in basic income plus rent.

Once again, opinions are being censored through measures that are life-threatening for individuals. And even worse: financial assistance from third parties is considered a violation under the Law on the Adjustment of Criminal Offenses and Sanctions for Violations of Restrictive Measures of the European Union, and is subject to criminal prosecution. As a result, those affected are left to fend for themselves and are effectively cast out of society. Only the €506 per month protects those affected from the death penalty by starvation.

Until now, the EU has always presented itself in international politics as a champion of democratic values and human rights. Apparently, this only applies as long as one does not deviate too much from the desired opinion ...