German Chancellor Angela Merkel, apparently from a Fuehrer Principle perspetive, has cleared the way for the prosecution of German comedian Jan Böhmermann for his poem mocking Turkey's president.
In a news conference today, Merkel emphasized that it will now be up to German courts to decide whether Böhmermann is guilty of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"In a country under the rule of law, it is not up to the government to decide," Merkel said. "Prosecutors and courts should weight personal rights against the freedom of press and art."
Merkel doesn't seem to realize it but she seems to have thrown out the rule of law and replaced it with the horrific rule by prosecutors, courts and by herself .
Freedom of expression is granted by Article 5 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, which also states that there is no censorship and freedom of expression that may be limited by law.
-RW
"In a country under the rule of law, it is not up to the government to decide," Merkel said. "Prosecutors and courts should weight personal rights against the freedom of press and art."
ReplyDeleteThe prosecutors and courts are part of government. Or is it different in Germany than it is here?