EU Targets European Observers of Referendums in Ukraine

Documents obtained by EIR demonstrate that Nathalie Loiseau, a French Member of the European Parliament, is on a crusade to target for EU sanctions European citizens who served as international observers in the latest referendums in Donbass. Loiseau, who is known to be close to French President Emmanuel Macron, is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the chairwoman of its Subcommittee on Security and Defense.

In late September, she sent an email to fellow members of the European Parliament, asking them to co-sign a collective letter that was sent on Sept. 28 to Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The letter states: “We, as elected of the European Parliament, demand that all those who voluntarily assisted in any way in the organization of these illegal referendums be individually targeted and sanctioned.” The list of signers has not been made public.

Note that Borrell’s spokesman Peter Stano had indicated for his part that the international observers of the ““illegal referendums” could be sanctioned, while a close collaborator of Borrell, Luc Pierre Devigne, likewise announced in Strasbourg that anyone who was involved in the organization of the votes could be hit with sanctions.

Eight years ago, following the secession of the Donbass from Ukraine, the EU Council, consisting of the heads of state or government of member countries, adopted “Council Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”

Its aim was to freeze the assets, seize real estate property and stop all business activity of Russian and pro-Russian Ukrainian businessmen (“oligarchs”) whose names were added to a public list of persons and entities under EU sanctions. This Regulation was then transcribed into the national legislation of several member states.

Since then, the EU has entered a new phase of totalitarian intimidation and terror, and Nathalie Loiseau, her co-thinkers and apparently Josep Borrell too, now want a law initially designed to punish Vladimir Putin and the Russian oligarchs to apply to each and every EU citizen “threatening the territorial integrity of Ukraine”, which would include monitors of the referendums.

Nathalie Loiseau, in her letter, especially singled out British journalist Vanessa Beeley, accusing her of “continuously spreading fake news about Syria and acting as a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin and Bashar el Assad for years.” Some days later, the journalist’s name was added to Myrotoverts, the NATO-sponsored Ukrainian “kill list” (cf. below).

Vanessa Beeley responded to Loiseau’s letter in a statement to The Grayzone: “Imposing sanctions on global citizens for bearing witness to a legal process that reflects the self-determination of the people of Donbass is fascism.” Should the EU proceed with this campaign, I believe there will be serious consequences because the essence of freedom of speech and thought is under attack.”