Hüseyin Doğru

Hüseyin Doğru (born 28 May 1983 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Berlin. 2023 he founded Red Media. In May 2025, he and his company AFA Medya A.Ş. were included on the European Union sanctions list in relation to activities that, according to the Council of the European Union, were linked to influence operations and information interference aligned with the interests of the Russian state. The EU has not presented any evidence of links between Doğru and Russia. Nor is it required to do so to adopt sanctions.

The German government, and German media such as taz and Deutsche Welle have reported about connections between Red Media, AFA Medya and Russian media RT and Ruptly. Tagesspiegel also accused Doğru of collusion with pro-Palestinian activists who occupied Humboldt University in Berlin. Doğru has rejected these accusations and stated that the sanctions are a punishment for his journalistic coverage of the war in Gaza, as well as the Palestinian genocide there.

The European sanctions have resulted in de facto "civil death", as they prohibit Doğru from working, traveling, receiving money or gifts, and making any purchases or payments, not even to a lawyer or for renting a home. Red Media closed on 16 May 2025.

In July 2024, Doğru was accused by the Tagesspiegel newspaper of having colluded with the pro-Palestinian activists who occupied the Institute of Social Sciences at Humboldt University of Berlin to be the first to report on the event in May 2024 , and of belonging to a "Russian propaganda network". The Council did not provide any evidence, nor did it accuse Doğru of any crime.

Consequences Doğru is prohibited from working, traveling, receiving money or gifts (aside from given an allowance of up to €506 which was exempt under EU Sanctions), and making any purchases or payments, not even to a lawyer or for renting a home. Red Media shut down on 16 May 2025. In March 2026, the bank accounts of Doğru's wife were also frozen by the German government, arguing that she had taken out insurance for the family car after her husband's policy was cancelled.

Ninon Colneric, former judge of the European Court of Justice, and law scholar Alina Miron stated before the European Parliament that the sanctions against Doğru, adopted without trial and without the accused being able to defend himself, effectively amount to civil death and constitute a serious infringement of his fundamental rights. The following month, BSW politician Sevim Dağdelen called for a broad mobilization in support of Doğru.