German army’s special forces partly disbanded due to far-right links

Politics surrounding Germany’s armed forces – the Bundeswehr – is fiercely contested: politically, some (not least the U.S. President) are demanding a reversal of decades of cutbacks, while others view such plans with scepticism and distrust. Operationally, the forces have been much affected by severe staff and materiel shortages, as well as by corruption scandals…

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Syrian regime’s sexual violence may be prosecuted in Germany

On June 17, 2020, human rights advocates filed a potentially path-breaking complaint with the German federal public prosecutor: brought by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) on behalf of seven Syrians, the complaint demands that Germany prosecute nine high-ranking Syrian government officials for sexual and gender-based violence committed during Syria’s 9-year-long war….

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Black Lives Matter in Germany: Protests, solidarity, and resilient colour-blindness

Like other European countries, Germany has witnessed a wave of demonstrations in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a US policeman. According to official (police) figures, on the first weekend of June 15,000 protesters attended a rally on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz square, and the largest demonstration in…

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Religious congregations in the spotlight as virus lockdown eased in Germany

For almost two months, from March 16 to the beginning of June, social distancing measures imposed by decree meant that believers could not gather for religious services in Germany. While initially these drastic measures were widely welcomed – or at least tacitly accepted –, the longer the ‘lockdown’ lasted, the more did old political faultlines…

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Court case limiting ‘lockdown’ restrictions on religious services receives feeble echo in Germany

Internationally, a case at the Federal Constitutional Court surrounding German authorities’ ability to prohibit Friday prayers in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak has caused a bit of a stir. At issue is the question as to whether public authorities have the legal right to ban Friday prayers and other religious services during the so-called…

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