Upon investigating the EU charges against retired Swiss Army Colonel Jacques Baud, a Swiss publication concludes that the accusations are inaccurate, that the process by which he was sanctioned violates the rule of law, and that the point is to send a signal to all others who might express opinions out of line with the dogma coming from Brussels.
Inside Paradeplatz says that the justification for sanctions is “remarkably brief”: that Baud is a regular guest on “pro-Russian television and radio programs,” serves as a “mouthpiece of Russian propaganda,” and spreads “conspiracy theories.”
According to their research, “no appearances by Baud on Russian television or radio programs can be found.” Regarding conspiracy theories, the publication notes that Ukrainian leaders openly acknowledged before the start of the war that NATO accession could accelerate war with Russia.
Of course, none of these actions are illegal in any event.
“More problematic than the substantive accusation itself, however, is the procedure, or rather, the lack thereof. Sanctioning individuals without charges, evidence, or a judicial determination contradicts fundamental principles of the rule of law.” [emphasis added]
While normally charges come from a prosecutor’s office, and the court then examines them, in Baud’s case the opposite has occurred: “sanctions replace the legal proceedings.”
The Swiss publication assesses that Baud’s reach is not great, and that the sanctions are not meant directly to suppress public opinion, but serves instead as “deterrence”—to send a signal, both to journalists and analysts, and also to the staff of the intelligence agencies themselves.
“When a former intelligence officer is sanctioned for a sober, fact-based analysis, it sends a clear signal—especially to younger analysts, viz., certain conclusions are undesirable.”
But the intelligence services are supposed to provide accurate assessments, not propaganda. Inside Paradeplatz concludes:
“A policy that replaces analysis with wishful thinking will sooner or later collide with reality. Sanctions and thought prohibitions will not change that.”