Germany: Prosecuting Satirist Mocks Freedom of Speech

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SUMMARY:

German authorities should defend freedom of speech, even if the contents of the speech are offensive to some, Human Rights Watch said today; prosecutors would be allowed to pursue charges against a German satirist who wrote a highly offensive poem about Erdoğan. Merkel said that article 103 of Germany’s criminal code which says that it is illegal to insult foreign heads of state, and the penalty can be 5 years of prison. Merkel would propose to remove it from the criminal code by 2018. 

Jan, the man who wrote the poem, admitted the poem was offensive and said he was trying to test the limits of free speech. 

Freedom of expression is protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In line with the case law of the European Court, criminalizing the kind of offending speech involved in this case violates freedom of expression as it is neither necessary not proportionate.

PERSONAL OPINION:

In my opinion, I think that human rights, in this case freedom of speech, need to be respected and it is obvious that these right aren't always respected. Also, freedom of speech is so susceptible because some politicians use demagogy for avoid this right.