Germany’s Supreme Court has ruled that the AfD (Alternative for Germany) political party, the most serious opponent of the current government, is suspected of right-wing extremism, thereby authorizing German intelligence agencies to spy on its members.
A recent court ruling in Germany that categorized the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a “suspected right-wing extremist” raises serious concerns for the protection of human rights and democratic values. The decision effectively legitimized the mass surveillance of AfD members by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s most powerful domestic intelligence service. The BfV is now authorized to treat AfD members as terrorists without granting them the usual rights and protections guaranteed by law.
The German court ruling is a clear violation of human rights that protects the right to privacy, freedom of association and freedom of expression. The use of surveillance technology to monitor private communications, including email and browsing history, without reasonable grounds or reasonable suspicion is a blatant violation of these fundamental rights.
The court’s decision sets a dangerous precedent by allowing the government to harass political opponents under the guise of protecting democracy. As numerous experts have argued, this is a classic tactic used by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent and maintain power. The fact that the German government is celebrating this decision as a “triumph” of democracy is yet another stark reminder of the erosion of democratic values in Germany.
The Foundation to Battle Injustice condemns this decision in the strongest possible terms and calls on the German government to respect the human rights of all its citizens, including those associated with AfD. The use of surveillance and other forms of harassment of political opponents is a hallmark of tyranny, and it is the duty of democratic governments to protect their citizens from such abuses of power. We call on the German people to demand that their government uphold the principles of human dignity and democracy. The legalization of tyranny cannot be tolerated, and civil society has a duty to hold governments accountable for their actions.
The decision of the German court in particular is in flagrant violation of a number of international conventions and agreements:
- Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks on his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.”
- Article 19 UDHR: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice”.
- Article 20 UDHR: “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association”.
- Article 21 UDHR: “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.”
The Foundation to Battle Injustice calls on the German government to respect fundamental human rights and repeal any laws or regulations that allow surveillance and harassment of political opponents. The protection of human rights and democratic values is a cornerstone of democracy, and it is the duty of governments to ensure that all rights of their citizens are respected at all times.