Time is of the essence for the current black-red government. If she wants to change laws before the September election, she has to hurry. Now there are stricter regulations for extremists, stalkers and customers of forced prostitutes.
During the last few meters, representatives of the Union and SPD parliamentary groups agreed on a number of legal-political projects. Both sides confirmed this to the German Press Agency in Berlin on Wednesday. The legislative changes are to be passed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat in the coming week – i.e. in the last regular week of session before the Bundestag election. An overview:
From enemy lists to nude photos – the last minute laws
Enemy lists: The dissemination of so-called enemy lists is expressly made a criminal offense. “These lists with names and addresses of politicians or committed citizens are published on the Internet with the aim of intimidating them and silencing them,” said the legal policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Jan-Marco Luczak (CDU). This has spread particularly among right-wing extremists. The legal policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Johannes Fechner, stated: “In future, anyone who publishes lists that are suitable and intended to expose citizens to danger is a criminal offense. We are thus sending a clear signal of a defensive constitutional state that takes action against extremists.”
Stalking: The prerequisites for this offense should decrease and the penalty framework should increase. “In the future, only a” repeated “stalemate behavior has to be proven that is capable of” not insignificantly “impairing the victim’s life,” explained Fechner. At the moment, the penal code speaks of “persistent” stalking, which is capable of “seriously impairing” the life of the person concerned. Luczak added: “The tightening of the penalties means that offenders can now be brought into custody more quickly.” Spying on social media accounts and movement data with the help of special apps should also be punishable as digital stalking. This also applies to the appropriation of a victim’s identity in order to spread pictures or messages via their supposed accounts on social media.
Nude shots: Nude photography in public places should become a criminal offense. “Recordings of intimate areas of the body that were made in publicly accessible places such as beaches or saunas land on pornographic websites,” explained Fechner. Anyone who intentionally or knowingly takes nude photos in such places should face a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine in the future. This also applies to the knowledgeable dissemination of such unauthorized photos.
Forced prostitution: “Today’s regulation, according to which a client is punishable if he has sex with a forced prostitute, often does not apply because the client’s intent cannot be proven,” said Fechner. In future, anyone who “carelessly misunderstands” the situation of prostitutes will make themselves liable to prosecution. Translated: Anyone who ignores clear indications, such as injuries to the body or even statements made by the woman, bears joint responsibility for the situation of forced prostitutes from now on. The funding for exit advice is now to be increased by 20 million per year.
Criminal trading platforms: The online trade in weapons, drugs and child pornography has increased significantly, said Fechner. In principle, operators could have been guilty of the aid. “Often, however, such trading platforms work automatically, so that the operator had no knowledge of specific individual transactions.” In future, however, the creation of structures for trading illegal goods should also become a criminal offense. Union parliamentary group deputy Thorsten Frei (CDU) emphasized: “Anyone who sells weapons or drugs on the Darknet can no longer excuse themselves from the fact that the website does everything automatically.”
Abuse instructions: So-called abuse instructions are made a criminal offense. “With these disgusting pamphlets, pedo criminals find out how they can abuse children even more easily and inconspicuously,” explained Frei. In addition, a narrowly limited exception for investigators should be created – in the event that pedophiles require such instructions from them as a test.
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