Weaponizing Civil Death to Crush Dissidents (w/ Hüseyin Doğru) | The Chris Hedges Report

The sanctioning of German journalist Hüseyin Dogru establishes a new precedent in the West's repression of anti-imperialist speech.

This interview is also available on podcast platforms and Rumble.

The war on information in the West has tread new grounds since the genocide in Palestine. Journalists and media outlets who report on the imperialist endeavors of the ruling class increasingly find themselves under the boot of legislators who concoct fascist legislation to act as imperial henchmen. Their methods are stretching the limits of the law with the scope and severity of the punishments imposed. Nowhere is this repression more apparent than in Germany where, since October 7 of 2023, governments have banned languages and symbols related to Palestine and many people, not only journalists but also professors, doctors and lawyers, have lost their jobs for speaking out against the genocide or participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations.

In this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Chris Hedges speaks with Hüseyin Dogru, a German citizen and father of three young children, who founded Red Media, an anti-imperialist, socialist media outlet. Since May 20 of 2025, Dogru has been experiencing a “civil death,” as Hedges calls it. Dogru and his family members are sanctioned by the European Union as part of its sanctions package against Russia. Their bank accounts are frozen, and they are forced to live on 506 euros a month, which is wholly inadequate for a family of five. Providing any support for Dogru’s family, such as bringing them food, is considered a violation of the sanctions and is punishable by heavy prison sentences and fines.

The allegations against Dogru are unfounded and inaccurate, but even though he has not committed any crimes, he is left with little recourse in the judicial system. Dogru describes the day-to-day struggles to find answers about what he is or isn’t permitted to do and the painful uncertainty of not knowing whether his children will have enough food or other necessities. His case illustrates the state’s expanding powers to weaponize the legal system and to control every aspect of a citizen’s life.

Dogru calls this attack on press freedom “militarization of the information space” and he notes its effectiveness. His trade union is siding with the government. Journalists are afraid to even report on his plight. Dogru explains, “What is happening to me and to my family scares the people and journalists so much that they self-censor.” When asked about Germany’s support for the Zionist State, Dogru exposes the hypocrisy of Germany’s claim to a historical responsibility to Jewish people. He places Germany’s actions in the context of its declining economy and search for relevance in a rising multipolar world, saying, “German imperialism is trying to be the leading force in Europe as well. And we know how it ended the last time when German imperialism got militarized and expanded in the world.”

---

---

---

Host

Chris Hedges

Executive Producer:

Max Jones

Intro:

Margaret Flowers

Transcript:

Margaret Flowers

Crew:

Diego Ramos

---

---

Transcript:

Chris Hedges: The German journalist, Hüseyin Dogru, because of his reporting on the genocide in Gaza, has been hit with draconian sanctions. Since May 2025, he has been banned from leaving Germany or re-entering if he somehow managed to leave. He has been forced to surrender his identity card. His bank account has been frozen. He is prohibited from working, although he is allowed 506 euros per month to survive. The German Bundestag passed legislation targeting anyone, directly or indirectly, who provides money or other resources to a person on the sanctions list. Offenses are punishable with up to five years imprisonment. And because these sanctions are defined as an administrative measure within the EU’s bureaucracy, he cannot appeal to a German court.

This imposition of civil death is a familiar tactic used to cripple and silence dissidents and was used against Paul Robeson and Julian Assange. It is seen Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur in Palestine, and the two international criminal court judges, who issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, also locked out of the global financial system. Dogru founded Red Dot Media in early 2023, the left-wing English language video portal focused on the genocide in Gaza and the Palestinian solidarity movement in Germany. In perhaps one of the most bizarre twists to this story, the European Union charges that his reporting supports “Actions by the government of the Russian Federation, which undermine or threaten stability and security in the Union.” Think about this. Reporting on the genocide in Gaza undermines the war effort against Russia. Dogru’s name was included in the EU’s 17 package of sanctions against Russia. No mainstream newspaper or broadcaster in Germany has reported on his case.

Dogru believes this silence is due to journalists and news organizations fearing they may too be sanctioned. Sanctions have also been applied to Thomas Röper and Alina Lipp, who are German journalists but based in Russia, and Nathalie Yamb, a Cameroonian Swiss activist noted for her opposition to French influence in West Africa, along with Jacques Baud, a former Swiss Army colonel whose reports on the debacle in Ukraine have angered NATO and European states.

Joining me to talk about his civil death and what this means for journalism, especially those journalists who report on the genocide, is Hüseyin Dogru. Let’s go all the way back to the inception of the genocide shortly after October 7th. And if you can describe the kinds of things you were reporting and putting out in your portal.

Hüseyin Dogru: Hello Chris, thank you for having me here. So, as you mentioned, we founded 2023, Red Media. I was its founder, and we have an understanding of an anti-imperialist socialist news outlet that is trying to highlight people’s struggle around the world, especially from the Global South against Western imperialism and exploitation. So, until October 7 we focused internationally about struggles in Latin America, in Asia, in Europe, but also from the African continent, Middle East. And with October 7, our focus was not primarily, but mainly on the Middle East and Palestine and the slowly unfolding at the beginning war crimes, which turned into a genocide later. So, we focused heavily on that and about the pro-Palestinian anti-genocide protests across the world, in Europe or in the US as well as in the Middle East. That was our primary focus.

At the same time, we also managed to do a couple of documentaries from Palestine as well, as well as from the African continent, which focus and highlight exploitation, which highlight war crimes, which also highlight human stories of people, as I mentioned at the beginning, fighting these injustices in their way. With the time, we also try to talk with the political actors in the Middle East, who are part of this war, especially with the Axis of Resistance groups such as the Palestinian resistance groups with the Houthis, Ansar Allah, and Hezbollah as well, to give a different perspective on the events that are unfolding and also trying to break that one-sided news coverage on the genocide, which is still dominated here in Europe, primarily from the perspective of the Zionist entity in the Middle East. And we wanted to break that a little bit because we thought, and we understood, that these people who are opposing the resistance in Palestine, partially do oppose that because they are not exposed to their version of the events and not the historical context of it. And that was our aim.

Chris Hedges: And when was the first indication that you were running into serious problems? Didn’t you interview Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, and a few other figures. Do you think it was that? I mean, when did you first sense that you were in pretty serious trouble?

Hüseyin Dogru: So, that was pre-sanctions. So, what happened is with October 7 and our unique coverage that we had internationally, we gained a lot of followers, we gained a lot of viewers. I think in January 2024 until mid-September 24, we had almost half a billion views, which was enormous.

Chris Hedges: Wow.

Hüseyin Dogru: Yeah. And I think that triggered something because we managed to break that image and the view on the Western countries in terms of their complicity in the genocide but also the repression against pro-Palestine activism because, especially in Germany, we saw that - I mean maybe you could follow that as well - and most of the people forget that after October 7, how the repression looked like on the streets here in Germany. People were battered, bones were broken. Speaking Arabic was even forbidden in Berlin for a while, even I think Hebrew for anti-Zionist Jews, it was obviously forbidden to talk even Hebrew. So, the repression was heavy. And with our coverage, that unique coverage that we tried to give here, also from the Middle East, with these interviews and insights, we got the attention of the mainstream media here in Germany, who started directly writing articles about like who is spreading these Jew hate videos, who’s supporting these terrorist supporters here in Germany and Europe as well. And then they started to look into us and found at some point that I, the founder of Red Media, worked in the past for Redfish, which was funded by Ruptly, connected to RT back then. And they started that propaganda of Hüseyin Dogru worked at Redfish, now he’s doing Red Media, it must be the same. And specific right wing pro-Zionist journalists started to create a theory of Kremlin communist, Kremlin Jew hater triangle conspiracy that we are behind all these demonstrations, that we are provoking these things. And that disinformation and campaign against us from the German mainstream ended up in, I think it was 14 or 16 of September 2024, when Anthony Blinken back then the second powerful person in the world, so to speak, was giving a press conference in UK, I think, and then the first time he mentioned us and said, “Red Media is a covert operation of the Russian disinformation according to the German newspapers.” But the German newspapers never said it is like that. They always said it could be like that. And so, it was an assumption at the beginning. And then Blinken talked about it. The question is also how the German newspapers’ coverage ended up on his desk because the German newspapers are internationally not really relevant. And then what the German newspapers did, first, there was an allegation from their side. Blinken talked, and out of the allegation, they made a fact. They said, “Red Media is Russian because Blinken said so.” But what they never said is Blinken’s referring to your articles where you never say it is like that. You say there is a suspicion it might be.

So, after Blinken talked about us publicly, I think there was also another outlet, which they mentioned, or outlets, we understood things getting quite serious, that the entire campaign against Red Media from the German mainstream ended on his desk and he is publicly speaking. And we anticipated that something will come, repression will come, maybe raiding the apartments or blocking the social media accounts, which did not happen. But at some point, the next year, 2025, May 20^th, we were sanctioned by the European Union.

Chris Hedges: The whole media organization was sanctioned?

Hüseyin Dogru: Me and my media organization, Red Media. We both. I mean me as a founder, I was sanctioned because I was accused that I’m spreading false information, disinformation, and terrorist propaganda through my media outlet Red Media, and that was the reason why they put us on the sanction list.

Chris Hedges: So, that shut down your media operation, in essence?

Hüseyin Dogru: No, what happened before, and that I think that’s the irony then, not the irony, but the scary part technically. So, because we understood there is something coming from the German government, European governments, and we saw what happened after the war in Ukraine started, that everything was banned in Germany, people got lost their jobs, also after October 7, a lot of academics, journalists, they got publicly attacked by newspapers, even German journalists called their employees and told them, “Do you know they’re participating at a pro-Palestine demonstration?” Because of that, people lost their jobs here. And we’re not talking about just a social worker. We’re talking about professors. We’re talking about journalists. We’re talking about doctors, lawyers, everyone. So, we understood it is going in a dark direction. So, we decided, I think it was one or two weeks before the sanctions, we decided to shut down Red Media and that was before the sanctions, without us even knowing that there will be something like sanctions, because we got also threats, threats against our colleagues who were threatened, and there was a social media campaign against people, and then we decided it is not worth the risk, especially being me personally partially being in Germany, but other people being in Europe or other countries. And that was the reason why we shut down Red Media. We announced it publicly. And then the European Union, I think one or two weeks later, sanctioned me and Red Media, even though there was no Red Media anymore. So that’s a bit, I mean, the funny or scary part even that they come even after you if you don’t even do what they alleged you to do. Yeah, that happened then on the twentieth of May.

Chris Hedges: Before we get into your sanctions and what they’ve done to your personal and professional life, just explain why Germany is such a fervent supporter of the Zionist state, of an apartheid regime, of the genocide. It’s, from a distance, certainly not because anti-racism runs through German blood.

Hüseyin Dogru: No, clearly not. Because if you look at statistics, if you look at what the German Chancellor says since one or two years, it’s quite racist remarks publicly against migrants. So, there is this rumor, and that’s what the German politicians constantly repeat that they have a historical responsibility towards the Jewish people and the state of Israel because of what they did. And they have this nice slogan, “Never Again is now.” But I don’t believe that Germany is supporting the Zionist entity because of the historical responsibility towards Jewish people because if they really would have that historical responsibility against the crimes that they committed, they would show the same historical responsibility and support for the people of Namibia, which they slaughtered back in the days, and still until today refuse to pay compensations. They would have the same support against the people of Crete, which fascist Germany invaded and massacred. And until today, they refuse to pay compensation or even support them. The funny thing about that is even in Crete, the German government is still funding up today memorial or area where former Nazi soldiers are buried and they’re paying, until today with German taxes, fascists people, tombs and the area where they’re buried. I mean, this is not the historical responsibility.

I think what we need to understand is in general, in which political economic context the support for Israel or the support for genocide is happening. Germany’s economy is declining. That is a fact. Germany missed the technological update of their economy, of their industry. They missed the entire AI developments. The heart of their industry, which is the car manufacturing, is crashing down. They’re losing against the US. They’re losing against the Chinese. I think in that context, Germany is trying to find their own place in the changing world, in the multipolar world that we have, and German imperialism is trying to be the leading force in Europe as well. I think that’s also why they’re pushing quite hard if it comes to Ukraine. And that’s why they’re pushing also in the Middle East because if you look at who’s benefiting in Germany from the genocide in Palestine, is the German military-industrial complex, is Rheinmetall. Germany is still selling weapons there. Germany sold weapons to Saudi Arabia. Germany sold weapons to Turkiye, which was used against the Kurds in the Middle East, in Syria. And now this is the same happening also with Palestine.

And the other thing is, I think, that Germany is trying to survive politically and economically. I mean you heard as well what von der Leyen said a couple of months ago, I think, where she said that the car manufacturing should be reorganized so they can be part and produce tanks or weapons. And this is exactly what they want here as well. I think it was Volkswagen who’s now thinking as well to produce for the military-industrial complex. And Germany is playing a crucial role there to redesign Europe militarily, to spend more money for militarization. Now they want to invest 500 billion euros in the next couple of years. There is also a militarization of the society happening, and I think this is all part of that. And even for them and for their technology, Gaza and the genocide is also a good opportunity to test their weapons and then later go on, I hope not, but against Russia or other places in the world, because German imperialism is waking up again. And they want to be the dominant power in Europe. And I think they’re trying to find their place in the world. And we know how it ended the last time when German imperialism got militarized and expanded in the world.

Chris Hedges: So, you’re sanctioned. When did you find out that you were sanctioned? How did you find out you were sanctioned? And I assume you were immediately cut off. You couldn’t go down to your ATM and get money or anything.

Hüseyin Dogru: So, I was sanctioned on 20th of May 2025. So, this is very important, when you’re sanctioned, you are not informed. No one is informing you. No one is informing you beforehand or the day when you’re sanctioned. It is up to you to find out that you are sanctioned. So that’s the first problematic part because once you’re sanctioned, until you found out that you are sanctioned, you could circumvent sanctions. That’s a criminal offense. So, you can get in Germany, I think now, up to five or ten years and fifty thousand euros. Five to ten years in prison, I think. Don’t nail me on the number.

So, how did we find that out? The day when I was sanctioned, me and my wife, my wife was pregnant back then, we went to the pharmacy to buy some medicine for her, and her cards did not work. Credit cards, no, nothing. And then we said, “Maybe there is a glitch,” and then I tried my card. It did not work out as well. And then we called the bank and the bank said, “We can’t tell you. Please write us an email and a letter.” And later the day when we were at home, obviously we’re journalists, we’re looking into the news, new Russian sanction package, and then I found my name on that list.

But there was a weird thing because I’m a German citizen, only German citizen, no dual nationality. And there was my name, my birth date, but it said a Turkish citizen, born in Turkiye even, with a different address, which is not my address. So, then we were curious, looked into it, read it, and it said, Hüseyin Dogru, AFA Media, Red Media, and we said, “Yeah, it must be me. But why is there such a mistake?” Then we called the lawyer. The lawyers asked the EU council what is happening, why is it happening? Because when we found out that I’m sanctioned, we read the sanctioned reasoning, and that is also, I think, quite dangerous and shows where Europe in general is going. It said, “Sanctioned under the 17th Russian sanctions because of very deep financial and personal ties to the Russian state’s propaganda operators.” And then they tried to explain why is that so, and they gave, and it’s still online that paper, three reasons. First one was that I interviewed Palestinian resistance groups, which is for them spreading terrorist propaganda. The second reason was that I reported from a university occupation here in Berlin, Humboldt University, it was Karl Marx’ university, by the way, was occupied by pro-Palestinian activists. And I was there. They invited me. They gave us information beforehand, and I reported from there, and they said that I gave Jew haters a platform to spread terrorist symbols. I think they mean the triangle, the red triangle, which is now forbidden in Germany, even I think the similar watermelon in Germany is not allowed anymore. And the third reason was that I covered protests, demonstrations, and violent demonstrations in Germany and in Europe; therefore, I am apparently trying to create discord and destabilize Europe. Therefore, only Russia can benefit from that, which is a very hard thing to believe to having that formula and reason.

So, this is how I found out that once you’re sanctioned, your accounts are frozen immediately, but not only yours, also from your family. My wife’s accounts were immediately frozen as well. Her savings are until today seized, they don’t give back her savings. And since one week, almost two weeks, my mother’s accounts are frozen. And then they start to target also your family because there was a time, I think it was almost 10 days, two weeks, where me, my wife, my two newborns and seven-year-old child, we had for ten days or two weeks only 104 euros to survive. 104 euros in a city like Berlin. So, they really want to hurt you then, and they really want to make you feel that they’re coming for you. And they also show you that it is not only the person who is sanctioned, who is targeted, the entire family is sanctioned because since then, I think it was this January, the German government created a new law, the Sanctions Implementation Law, which is more repressive than the sanction itself. The sanctions do allow support to my family, or let’s say they do not criminalize the support to my babies, to my children, or to my wife. But the new German law criminalizes even, in theory, they left that door open because it’s so vaguely written, that the support to my babies, if you would come now, say you say I have some nappies for your children, you technically could be charged with five years prison or up to 50,000 euros of fine. So, they criminalize everything to isolate you, and this is also sanctions. It is not only asset freeze. And because I’m sanctioned, I’m not allowed to leave Germany, to leave or enter Europe. That’s what the sanctions say. But the problem lies here that sanctions are designed for people outside of Europe. So, they don’t really know how that should function with me because I’m a European citizen and I’m living in Europe. So, recently the German government said I am allowed to leave, but when the journalists asked the question, “Is he allowed to enter?” they said, “That’s not our responsibility.” And they said, “But he’s a German citizen.” They said, “That’s not our responsibility.” So, sanctions have a big effect, not only on the person but also the entire family.

Chris Hedges: And of course you’re not allowed to work.

Hüseyin Dogru: That’s also something they don’t know if I’m allowed to work or not. We applied for permission because I need to apply for everything for permission from the federal bank, the Bundesbank, or BAFA, which is like the customs, for everything. So, I have 560 euros that I can use monthly for humanitarian reasons, which is not enough at all. Everything else I need to ask, even if I want to pay my rent, pay my lawyer, pay my bills, I need to ask them. And they need to give me permission for that. And with the work is the same thing. There was a leftist anti-imperialist news outlet called Junge Welt, Young World. It’s quite an old leftist newspaper in Germany, who wanted to employ me, who said, “Hey Hussein, we want to show solidarity, but we also want to employ you.” And the German government couldn’t tell us until today if I am allowed to work there or not. So, is everything vague because they don’t have the answers as well because the sanctions violate European law. The sanctions violate European Member States law because they’re designed against people outside of Europe. So that is the limbo where I am right now.

Chris Hedges: And your legal recourse: you don’t have one inside Germany, as I understand it, but you technically can go to the European Union court, is that correct?

Hüseyin Dogru: Yes, so first of all, I think people need to understand sanctions are extrajudicial measures. They’re extrajudicial. There’s no court. There is no hearing. There is no evidence. There is no sentence by the court, nothing. Just 27 foreign ministers of Germany come together and they just decide we sanction these people, then they sanction it. So, that’s the main problem. I need to fight something that is decided extrajudicially with judicial measures, which does not really work. So, in Germany, I can’t go to the courts because Germany says, “We are not responsible for that. You need to go to the European Union, to the courts,” which we are. We are at the European court, which is in Luxembourg right now, is one before the European Court of Justice and we are expecting a decision, I think, next month or the month in July or August. But the problem lies here that I don’t have really all the rights to defend myself because I technically can’t or I’m not allowed to pay my lawyer. So, everyone says you can have a lawyer, you can fight and challenge that in front of the courts, but I need to ask the German government if I can pay my lawyer. So, they technically control how much access I have for my defense, which makes it very hard for me to fight that. So, they control the means and they say, “We have nothing to do here in Germany with that.” So, right now we’re waiting there. We think it’s going to be a negative decision by the European courts because it is a political decision. Sanctions are political. It has nothing to do with a judicial process and even the European Council’s website says, when they describe what sanctions are, and that’s the most frightening thing. I think that shows us where European imperialism, maybe the German imperialism, because German imperialism is European imperialism, that dominant power here, where it goes.

And they say that sanctions are not punitive. Sanctions are designed to change the non-illegal behavior of the person to promote the foreign and security policy of the European Union. That’s very important. So, that means if you do not think like us, if you do not promote our foreign policy or security policy, then we can sanction you. That’s censorship by design. That’s censorship. And I mean, the Europeans love to say, “Look at the authoritarian system in Russia. Look at the authoritarian system in in Venezuela, in Cuba, in China.” But as McNamara, I think it was the Irish MEP, said, “By fighting disinformation, we’re becoming what we are supposedly fighting against.” And that’s the problem that I have. So yeah, let’s see. The court says, I think, the decision will be in one to two months and if it’s negative, we are going to the European Court of Justice. Until then I’m sanctioned and that can take still a couple of years.

Chris Hedges: How has this played out in your daily life?

Hüseyin Dogru: The daily life, you don’t have. Technically you live day by day because you can’t plan further. We don’t know if the next day the accounts are frozen again of my wife, or the 506 euros that I have personally for humanitarian reasons is frozen again. We are facing right now a situation where the accounts of my wife could be frozen again, and then it takes one to one or two weeks, maybe three weeks, until we have access to more money, more than the 506 euros. And then you have problems. Why? You can’t pay your rent. You can’t pay for food. You can’t pay for basic needs, not only for me, but also for my family. And asking for someone else to do that is also not allowed. So, that is the hardest part. And what is also happening, if you don’t have the means to survive or live, it isolates you as well because people get scared. A lot of people in Germany, also journalists who are writing me, neighbors, friends, or whatsoever, they are in full solidarity with me on WhatsApp or Signal or private conversations, but they won’t write something because they also don’t know what these sanctions mean for them if they write something positively about me, or write at all about me. But that chain is a little bit kind of like changing right now because the German mainstream is slowly looking into my case. but the more momentum I get, the more repression I face. Also, from the German newspapers.

What it means personally for me, as well is that, for example, my trade union is attacking me. They technically made a comment and said, “We do share the assessment of the foreign ministry. As long as the foreign ministry’s assessment regarding Hüseyin Dogru does not change, our position will not change.” That also shows how aligned the trade union, the newspapers are with the government line. So, again, I’m going back to the example that I gave is Germany is always pointing with fingers to others, but if it comes to press freedom and how everything is separated from each other, that the government does not control it, but it feels like they do, or at least they’re all on state line. And last but not least, what is also very hard for us is the fact that your children, even they’re little, they’re being attacked. Their survival is being attacked and that scares you. Like you are in constant, I mean we are not paranoid, but we are like having the fear of being put in a situation where we can’t feed our children at some point. Because we live through that ten days, almost two weeks, and that is the most brutal thing right now they did to us, and that scares you a lot because you’re stuck here and you can’t get out.

Chris Hedges: What effect has this had on other independent media organizations that do the kind of work that Red Media did?

Hüseyin Dogru: I think what is happening, I don’t know about media organizations, but journalists in Europe, let’s talk about Germany, with October 7, a lot of journalists lost their jobs. Why? Because they criticized the Zionist entity. They criticized the genocide, or they talked about the genocide. A lot of journalists lost their job. A lot of journalist organizations like Reporters Without Borders, Germany, they made a report, I think the 2025 report, where they highlight how the news outlets pressure the journalists to report, directly or not directly, but on behalf of the Zionist entity and not to use certain words or certain phrases, and that is affecting the job. And journalists in Germany do have, maybe not everyone, but a big part of the journalists that I know, they just avoid to talk about certain topics. And I think that is sanctions as well by going so hard after me here in Europe, because what separates me from Lipp, Ruper, Jacques Baud, as well as Nathalie Yamb, they’re outside of Europe. They can be sanctioned and they are sanctioned, but they can still exist. They can still earn money. They can still buy things. It was the same with Francesca Albanese as well. I don’t say it is good. It is still bad situation, but with me it’s like I’m stuck in Europe as a European citizen. I’m technically in a prison right now. And what is happening to me and to my family scares the people and journalists so much that they self-censor themselves. And I think that’s also the aim.

Now Europe does not have to sanction journalists anymore because they are scared. And with the new laws coming in Germany especially, I mean I think that they’re proposing a law where you can get up to five years of prison if you deny the right of existence of the Israeli state. So, it is escalating. And I think what is happening right now with the sanctions as well, they’re testing. It is a test field right now. How far can they go? How far can they cut the rights of people, the press freedoms, freedom of speech? And they’re testing and adjusting everything. But in certain countries, it’s not an EU level anymore, even the countries themselves sanctioned people. In France, there is the unfortunately unknown case of Iranian French, I think he’s a French citizen with an Iranian background, a journalist, Shahin Hazamy, who was sanctioned by the French government. His house was raided by anti -terror units because he was in Lebanon and reported from there. The videos are even online. He published them where his pregnant wife was smashed against the wall by anti-terror units, I think it was, and he publicized everything. So, it is escalating and people get scared. And that is the problem that we have with the sanctions. I mean, yeah, I can be attacked, it is fine, but the entire society is being put online technically or being threatened as well. I mean, even the German foreign ministry spokesperson threatened journalists during the German press conference. He said, ‘Everyone who’s threatening our information space will face repression with sanctions.” And he mentioned something very important: information space. And I think that’s the aim as well: the militarization of information. They want to control the information because sanctions do not say that you say something wrong. For them it’s like who says that? Who is giving the information? Who has a monopoly of information? And that scares.

Chris Hedges: Great, thanks Hüseyin. I want to thank Max, Thomas, and Nawell, who produced the show. You can find me at ChrisHedges.substack.com.

---

Photos

US actor and singer Paul Robeson listens to a spee

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: US actor and singer Paul Robeson listens to a speech during the Peace Partisans World Congress in Moscow 20 April 1949. Robeson lost his passport in 1950 and his income was reduced. (Photo credit should read AFP via Getty Images)

“The History Of Sound” Red Carpet - The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival

CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 21: Julian Assange attends the “The History Of Sound” red carpet at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Italian Daily Politics 2026

MILAN, ITALY - MAY 27: Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, attends the presentation of her book ‘ La luce del risveglio ‘ at Spirit de Milan on May 27, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT

TOPSHOT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attend a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Netanyahu said on October 28 that fighting inside the Gaza Strip would be “long and difficult”, as Israeli ground forces operate in the Palestinian territory for more than 24 hours. (Photo by Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Jacques Baud Portrait Session

PARIS, FRANCE - 06/01/2024: Writer Jacques Baud poses during a portrait session in Paris, France on 06/01/2024. (Photo by Eric Fougere/Corbis via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-MEDIA

TOPSHOT - Journalist Anas al-Sharif (C) and mourners holding ‘press’ signs surround the body of Al-Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul, killed along with his cameraman Rami al-Refee in an Israeli strike during their coverage of Gaza’s Al-Shati refugee camp, on July 31, 2024. Al Jazeera condemned the killing of two of its journalists, calling the deaths a “cold-blooded assassination” in a statement. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP) (Photo by OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli airstrikes continue on the 13th day in Gaza

GAZA CITY, GAZA - OCTOBER 19: A resident gets upset as she walks amid near the rubble of residential buildings after Israeli airstrikes at al-Zahra neighborhood in Gaza Strip on October 19, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu via Getty Images)

GERMANY-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CONFLICT-EDUCATION-DEMO

A pro-Palestinian activist is carried away by police at the university campus of the Free University of Berlin, Germany, on May 7, 2024 as police forces try to break up a demonstration of activists against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip which was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-US-DIPLOMACY

TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the press at David Kempinski Hotel in Tel Aviv on August 19, 2024. Blinken on August 19 urged Israel and Hamas not to derail negotiations that he said may be a “last opportunity” to secure a Gaza truce and hostage release deal. (Photo by Kevin MOHATT / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KEVIN MOHATT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Flag Flies Outside Reichstag As Anti-Semitism Debates Simmer

BERLIN, GERMANY - APRIL 09: The Israeli flag flies between the European Union and German flags outside the Reichstag on April 09, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. The ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza following the October 7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas has complicated issues of free speech and anti-semitism in Germany, a country that has in recent decades maintained a very broad interpretation of anti-semitism that often includes criticism of Israel. . (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Germany Returns Mortal Remains To Namibian Delegation

BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 29: Namibian skulls from the German Empire’s murderous campaign in 1904-1908 which saw the colonizers kill an estimated 60,000 Ovaherero and 10,000 Nama people after they rose up against colonial rule, considered the first genocide of the 20th century, are seen during a repatriation ceremony at the Franzoesische Friedrichstadtkirche (French Cathedral) on Gendarmenmarkt on August 29, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Crete Invasion

May 1941: German parachutists drop onto Crete during the invasion of Greece. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Ursula Von Der Leyen Reelected As European Commission President

STRASBOURG, FRANCE - JULY 18: Ursula von der Leyen addresses the media during a press conference after being reelected as head of the European Commission following the plenary session of the European Parliament on July 18, 2024 in Strasbourg, France. Members of the European Parliament had to decide today on a second term for Ursula von der Leyen as the head of the European Commission, a role she has held since December 1, 2019. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

European and local elections

Michael McNamara at the count centre as counting continues at Nemo Rangers GAA club in Cork, Ireland, in the European elections. Picture date: Thursday June 13, 2024. (Photo by Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images)

SWITZERLAND-UN-RIGHTS-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT

United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese presents her latest report before delegates at the UN Rights Council, in Geneva, on March 23, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)

Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of H

Beirut, LEBANON: Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, gestures during a speech at the start of the Shiite Ashura ceremonies which mark the death of prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam al-Hussein, in Beirut’s sourthern suburbs late 20 January 2006. Nasrallah has vowed new action in the Lebanese opposition’s bid to bring down the Western-backed government, the latest broadside in a crippling weeks-old political crisis. AFP PHOTO/HAITHAM MUSSAWI (Photo credit should read HAITHAM MUSSAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

A protester holds a red triangle while another has hands

WARSAW, MAZOVIA, POLAND - 2024/05/12: A protester holds a red triangle while another has hands daubed in fake blood. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters in Warsaw, Poland took to the streets on 12th May to commemorate the victims of the Nakba in 1948 as well as the 34,000 people murdered in Palestine since October. In the sunshine, the Varsovian protest marched from the historic Plac Zamkowy to the American Embassy, stopping at the Presidential Palace. (Photo by Neil Milton/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)