Search of Radio Dreyeckland editor lawful
According to a recent court decision, the search of an editor at Radio Dreyeckland in Freiburg in January was lawful after all. The Stuttgart Higher Regional Court ruled that there had been a concrete suspicion at the time, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. The court thus ruled differently to an earlier instance in Karlsruhe, which had classified the investigative action as unlawful. Südwestrundfunk (SWR) reported earlier.
Investigators had searched two staff apartments and editorial offices of the non-commercial broadcaster in Freiburg. The investigators' accusation is that a report was published on the station's homepage that contained a link to an archive of the banned association "Linksunten.Indymedia".
"We are definitely examining further legal steps," Radio Dreyeckland announced on request. As the lawyer David Werdermann from the Berlin Society for Civil Liberties added, possible further steps include a constitutional complaint. The civil rights organization had filed a complaint with the broadcaster against the searches.
The Stuttgart court's decision only concerned the search of the editor - there has not yet been a new decision on the other searches, said the spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office.
In June, charges were admitted against the editor in question before the State Protection Chamber of the Karlsruhe Regional Court. The journalist is accused of having supported the further activities of a banned organization by linking to it. The criminal proceedings are due to begin in April before the Karlsruhe Regional Court, as the spokesperson has now reported.
The "Linksunten.indymedia" association was banned and disbanded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in August 2017 following riots on the fringes of the G20 summit in Hamburg. The reason given at the time was that the platform had incited left-wing extremist crimes. "Linksunten.Indymedia" was described by the then Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière (CDU) as the most important platform for violent left-wing extremists in Germany.
Radio Dreyeckland emerged from the regional anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s and was the first free radio station in Germany to receive a broadcasting license in 1988.
The media widely reported on the court's decision, affirming the lawfulness of the editor's search at Radio Dreyeckland. Critics, such as David Werdermann from the Berlin Society for Civil Liberties, are considering further legal actions, including a constitutional complaint.
The media coverage surrounding the case has sparked a debate about the boundaries of free speech and investigative journalism in relation to banned organizations.
Source: www.dpa.com
