[DiogenesKynikos]

In theory, it can't. But in reality, it does in important cases.

Germany has implemented EU sanctions against a German journalist, which deprive him and his family of the ability to conduct basically any economic activity in Germany or even to leave the country. He is not allowed to work. No one is allowed to pay him money. He has to petition the government every time he wants to access even a small amount of the money in his own bank account. The same restrictions apply to his close family members, because they are suspected of helping him survive financially. He is barred from crossing any border in Europe, including to leave.

He has not been accused or convicted of anything in court. The only procedure that was required to hand down an economic death sentence was for the EU Commission to put his name on a list.

The German government claims this is all okay, because the journalist can proactively challenge his sanction listing in Brussels. It's a years-long process that will require paying lawyers - using money he is not allowed to access.

Needless to say, this is all highly unconstitutional. But the German government simply doesn't care. They just say they're implementing EU sanctions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCseyin_Do%C4%9Fru

[patates]

Very weird case. I don't think anyone can survive here in Germany on a 503€ allowance he gets, and let alone having some probable but unproven ties to a state considered an enemy since only recently, I would find crippling someone to that degree harsh even for a convicted war criminal. He's apparently not even allowed to pay rent!

[mike_hearn]

It's not that weird. There are other cases like it. Jacques Baud is a Swiss guy and was sanctioned by the EU Commission for "spreading Russian propaganda". At the time he was living in Brussels and the EU became a prison that he's not allowed to leave.

https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/2025/article/ancien-espion-su...

The sanctions imposed on December 15 by the European Union against Jacques Baud and eleven other people include the freezing of their assets, a ban on doing business and bans on entering the EU.

“I don’t have the right to return to Switzerland, or even to travel within the EU. I’m essentially being held against my will,” says Jacques Baud.

[patates]

Thanks for the example but there being other cases and me as an average person who follows the news having no idea about all this make it even weirder for me.

[mike_hearn]

European media is extremely pro EU and generally doesn't publish anything that might undermine support for it. This is one reason so many across Europe were baffled by Brexit. Their media kept them in the dark about problems the British media and politicians had spent decades highlighting.

[LtWorf]

And now UK is the perfect utopia! Lol

[mike_hearn]

The British media is also happy to investigate and attack their own government.

Regardless, the UK is still run by the same pro-EU loyalists it was run by for decades, and they largely continue EU policy. You will notice that a lot of people are very unhappy about that, but it takes time to completely replace the entire political class of a country - especially when that class bought time by pretending they were going to make a break with EU ideas and demands, whilst secretly planning to do the opposite.

[msdz]

Genuinely thank you for linking to him and his case.

I live in Germany and am -principally- a massive advocate for and proponent of the free (or liberal) democratic basic order ("FDGO" [0]) we have had here for the last decades, and apart from Chat Control, I’m usually very highly pro-EU, too.

But reading this has genuinely left me in a bit of a shock now, and created some (for lack of a better word) FUD I haven’t felt before with regard to these two, eh, institutions governing us.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democratic_basic_order

[LtWorf]

That's what I'm saying. It's completely illegal but nobody cares.