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German pacifists in court (again!)

  • Elke Steven
    In April 1999, around 40 German pacifists made a public call for action, including civilian disobedience and desertion, to protest the Nato war against Yugoslavia.
    The activists argued that not only was the Nato war, like any war, fundamentally against human rights, but that it also contravened international law and Germany's constitution.
        In response, the public prosecutor's office in Berlin began proceedings against the pacifists (seePN 2438) and the district court issued summonses and indictments. Since then 31 war resisters have been acquitted, seven were convicted and one accepted an order requiring payment of a penalty fine to a non-profit organisation.
        In each case the judges did not want to make any judgement regarding the illegality of the war and justified the acquittal of the 31 activists on the basis of their right to freedom of expression.
        The prosecutor's office has since made an appeal against those who were acquitted, and in response those activists who were convicted have appealed against their convictions. The appeals processes began in July.
    Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie (tel +49 221 972 6929; fax 972 6931; email grundrechtekomitee@t-online.de).
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