Germany persecutes journalist for Russia-Ukraine war coverage
German authorities last month notified independent journalist Alina Lipp that she is facing three years in prison for her coverage of the Ukraine-Russia war, which revealed a side to the conflict unflattering to Ukraine. The notice comes after the German government already censored Lipp’s videos online and shut down her bank account with 1,600 euros, as well as her father’s account.
As reported by America’s Frontline News, the German Embassy in the U.S. in March tweeted a notice from the Ministry of Interior that those who approve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be prosecuted. Also, any German found using the “Z” symbol online, an abbreviation for the Russian words meaning “for victory”, will likewise be prosecuted.
“Russia’s war of aggression against #Ukraine is a criminal offense,” read the notice. “Anyone publicly approving the war may be liable to prosecution in Germany. This applies to using the ‘Z’ symbol, too. German security authorities are keepinAg an eye on the use of the symbol. - Ministry of Interior.”
Lipp, who has been living in Donetsk, Ukraine for about six months, went viral in March when she published video interviews with residents of Ukraine’s Donbas region. The residents, who consider themselves Russian, revealed that ever since they requested to secede from Ukraine in 2014 the Ukraine government began killing civilians in the territory. According to Lipp, Ukrainian snipers sometimes execute citizens on their way to work, apartment buildings have been shelled and some schools are riddled with bullets from Ukrainian soldiers.
Eyewitness accounts published by Lipp confirm these reports, including from one mother whose four-year-old daughter was killed by Ukrainian artillery shelling. Lipp says the Ukraine government has since labeled her a “Russian terrorist.”
Donbas residents thus see Russian President Vladimir Putin as a savior, not an invader, and are grateful for an end to the eight-year assault – which Lipp refers to as a “genocide” - on behalf of Ukraine’s government.
The journalist shared a recent video in which she shows the letter sent to her by Germany’s prosecutor’s office warning her that she is facing three years’ imprisonment.
“At the end of the letter, he says that they are not going to invite me to a hearing because this would ‘disturb the investigations,’ and that is very interesting, so they are chasing me, but they do not want to listen to me,” she says. She also notes the irony that the letter contains a large “Z”, which Germany has warned its citizens about using.
A further irony is found in Germany’s admitted dependence on Russia, even as the country takes a hard line with its citizens on the conflict.
Though President Donald Trump publicly warned Germany during a 2018 speech at the United Nations General Assembly that it was becoming too reliant on Russian energy, the German delegation scoffed at Trump.
“Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course,” said Trump as German officials snickered.
In March, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement that oil and gas imports from Russia are of “essential importance”.
“It’s therefore a conscious decision on our part to continue the activities of business enterprises in the area of energy supply with Russia,” said Scholz.
“EU’s energy needs cannot be secured without Russia & its imports. Germany has no plans to suspend them,” he added.
“I was wrong,” former German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble said, according to The Guardian. “We were all wrong.”
