Abuse of power & retaliation

EU-sanctioned German journalist Hüseyin Doğru's wife has her bank accounts frozen, family faces homelessness

Confidence: Confirmed · 5 sourcesGermany · Sep 21, 2026

Subject of this story

Central Office for Sanctions Enforcement (ZfS)

Council of the European Union

Also named

Affected

Hüseyin Doğru, Journalist; founder of AFA Medya/RED, Berlin

What happened

Berlin-based journalist Hüseyin Doğru was added to the EU's Russia sanctions list in May 2025 (17th sanctions package) over his media outlet AFA Medya/RED, which the EU says spread disinformation supporting Russia's 'destabilising activities.' In late 2025/early 2026, German authorities extended restrictions to freeze his wife's bank accounts as a suspected sanctions-circumvention vector, and a Frankfurt court upheld the freeze in March 2026, leaving the family with minimal funds. Doğru frames the sanctions as retaliation for his pro-Palestinian reporting on Gaza; the EU's official listing cites Russia-related disinformation, not Palestine coverage, as the stated legal basis.

Sources (5)

SourceOfficial EU Council record of the sanctions listing (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/965) naming Doğru and AFA Medya; this is the primary legal record, not a report about one.

digit.site36.net (Matthias Monroy)Independent investigative journalist specializing in EU security/surveillance policy; original reporting on the freeze extending to family accounts.

BianetTurkish independent news/human-rights agency; independent confirmation of the sanctions and financial impact.

Remix NewsRight-leaning aggregator/outlet without a strong editorial track record; corroborates the Frankfurt court ruling but treated as unrated.

RTRussian state media with an obvious interest in this Russia-sanctions story; treated as unrated/non-independent echo, not counted toward corroboration.

Response

Central Office for Sanctions Enforcement (ZfS)

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

Council of the European Union

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

I saw an update

Take action →