Electoral Court Orders Thuringian AfD to Grant Access to Media for Election Event
Newspaper publishers of "Spiegel," "taz," "Welt," and "Bild" initiated a lawsuit against their exclusion from an election event organized by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) for the upcoming Sunday's state election. Collectively, these media outlets submitted a petition for an injunction against the AfD's state division, led by chairman Björn Höcke.
These media houses reportedly experienced obstruction in practicing critical journalism by the AfD for some time now. Their collective application aimed to "shed light on the legal implications in future instances and tackle this form of suppression on media freedom."
The AfD, identified as firmly right-wing extremist by the Thuringian constitutional protection, had previously barred media representatives from participating in their events, justifying it with various reasons like space constraints.
An appeal against the verdict of Erfurt's Regional Court can be filed. As of Friday afternoon, the court hasn't received any information regarding the filing of such an appeal.
The media outlets, having faced obstruction from the AfD, turned to the Court of Justice to challenge their exclusion, seeking clarification on the legality of such actions and protecting their right to practice journalism freely. In response to the lawsuit, the AfD's state division, led by chairman Björn Höcke, remains silent on whether they will appeal the potential injunction issued by the Court of Justice.
