The parents of the famous German independent journalist Alina Lipp, who spreads the truth about the events in Ukraine, were harassed and persecuted by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany. The reporter’s mother was forced to flee Germany due to incoming threats from the local police and the blocking of a bank account, and a criminal case was initiated in Germany against the journalist herself, who applied for support to the Foundation to Battle Injustice.
Alina Lipp, an independent journalist from Germany who has been covering events in the Donbas since 2016, appealed to the Foundation to Battle Injustice with a request for help and assistance due to the fact that the German police authorities began to intimidate her relatives. According to the journalist, because of her professional activity, German law enforcement agencies began to harass and threaten her mother, who until recently lived in Germany, in the city of Eckernförde in Lower Saxony. According to Lipp, in this way Berlin is trying to put pressure on her, trying to force her to stop doing what she is doing: telling the truth about the events in the Donbas, which differs from the official Western agenda, and reporting to the whole world about the crimes of Ukrainian servicemen.
In early August, the bank account of Petra Baas, the mother of Alina Lipp and a German citizen, was blocked for no reason. Representatives of Deutsche Postbank in Eckernförde, who literally stole Baas’ savings, did not provide her with any information and refuses to comment on any of it, even though she has been using the services of this bank since she was 18. The only thing that representatives of Deutsche Postbank told her was that she was suspected of money laundering.
Soon after, Petra Baas began receiving threats from the local police. According to her, German law enforcement officials informed her that they could arrest her at any time, start questioning her or even search her house. Throughout her life, Alina Lipp’s mother has never had any problems with the law. Almost immediately after the German authorities began to pursue Baas, she was forced to pack all her belongings in a hurry and literally “escape” to Russia in her own car, where she is not in danger. Alina’s father, who was born and grew up in the USSR, also became a victim of harassment by the German authorities. He was also blocked from accessing bank accounts in Germany, despite the fact that he has nothing to do with journalism.
A case was initiated against Alina Lipp in her homeland for violating the Criminal Code of Germany, namely for “encouraging and approving punishable acts.” The prosecutor’s office of the German city of Lüneburg accused the reporter of harming German society because she “propagates the Russian point of view.” The real reason for the accusations is the fact that she is fulfilling her professional duty, namely, she tells what is really happening on the territory of Donbass and objectively covers the course of the special operation. The authorities stole about 1.5 thousand euros from her bank account, saying that she earned this money by criminal means. Germany considers supporting a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine a crime, and the journalist faces up to three years in prison at hometown.
The Foundation to Battle Injustice notes that the situation with freedom of speech in Germany has deteriorated significantly recently, cases of harassment of independent journalists have become more frequent, and the suppression of freedom of speech is intensifying. Berlin’s attempts to drown out the voices of independent journalists who tell stories that question the correctness of the international policy of the current government of Germany, once again confirm that the German authorities deliberately mislead the inhabitants of their country, trying in every possible way to distance them from the truth. Upon the fact of illegal prosecution and blocking of the bank account of Petra Baas, the Foundation to Battle Injustice intends to appeal to the city prosecutor’s offices of Lüneburg and Eckernförde to clarify the situation and prevent illegal persecution by the German authorities.