Germany to SCRAP ‘outdated’ law that forbids insulting foreign leaders

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Germany is preparing to drop outdated laws that forbid insulting foreign leaders

Justice Minister Heiko Maas deemed the law "outdated and unnecessary" during a statement released on Wednesday.

He said: “The idea of lese majesty arose in an era long gone by. It no longer belongs in our criminal law."

It comes after the German government had to grant a request from Turkey for prosecutors to investigate a TV comic who wrote a crude poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The idea of lese majesty arose in an era long gone by. It no longer belongs in our criminal law

Heiko Maas, Justice Minister

The investigation against comic Jan Boehmermann was later dropped due to insufficient evidence of him committing any crime.

Angela Merkel was widely criticised for allowing prosecutors to pursue the case against Mr Boehmermann, which came about a time of tense relations between Berlin and Ankara.

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Angela Merkel was criticised for the prosecution of comic Jan Boehmermann by Turkish authorities

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Her spokesman released a statement at the time explaining that “satire takes place within our country’s press and media freedom, which — as you know — is not unlimited.”

Insulted foreign leaders can still pursue their own libel and defamation cases.

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