Wolfgang Bittner on the sanctioning of Alina Lipp and Thomas Röper – a statement of solidarity

Dr. Wolfgang Bitter, a profound expert on geopolitics, author, publicist and lawyer from Germany, stands up for Alina Lipp and Thomas Röper. – Will other colleagues follow suit?

Wolfgang Bittner

Declaration of bankruptcy for the rule of law

In the “liberal democracy” in which we live, according to Berlin’s leading politicians, anyone who does not do their bit can be intimidated, punished or eliminated, be it through unlawfully ordered house searches, fines or – as has happened in individual cases – imprisonment. The excesses are increasing.

The European Union undertook a serious encroachment on freedom of expression and freedom of the press, which represents a new dimension of unlawful threats and punishments against journalists critical of the government and their supporters, as part of its 17th sanctions package against Russia adopted on May 20, 2025. Two German citizens, the journalist and author Thomas Röper and the journalist and blogger Alina Lipp, are affected for the first time. Both live in Russia and report from there.

They are accused of “systematically spreading misinformation about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine” in their wide-reaching blogs, denying the Ukrainian government its legitimacy and participating in an armed conflict in a third country by “manipulating information and exerting influence”.

Thomas Röper and Alina Lipp are banned from entering and transiting the country and their assets in Europe are “frozen”. It is also ordered that “no funds or economic resources may be made available to them, either directly or indirectly”. This also means that any sellers or donors are liable to prosecution, whereby a deliberate breach of sanctions under the EU provisions, which are to be incorporated into national criminal law, can be punished with imprisonment.

The process, which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, is making waves in the alternative media, while in the bourgeois media, in line with their political and ideological orientation, there is some understanding for the defense against “Russian hybrid threats”, “false information” and “Kremlin propaganda”.

But what is happening, what the EU Commission in Brussels is arrogating to itself in front of everyone’s eyes, is a monstrosity. The suspension of civil rights without a hearing, charge and judgment, combined with the punishment of German citizens through sanctions, is a declaration of bankruptcy for the rule of law. Professional bans and expropriations are being imposed on the basis of questionable accusations, which means that the Commission is blatantly exceeding its powers. The question of who will be executed next is open to debate.

This development is untenable and should not be tolerated. What is needed is a complaint to the European Court of Justice and criminal charges against those responsible for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. We are calling on lawyers who have retained their incorruptibility.