German Ministry Issues Draft Law Regarding Data Protection on the Internet

(Hunton & Williams LLP) On December 1, 2010, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (the “BMI”) issued a paper  entitled “Data Protection on the Internet,” which contains a draft law  to protect against particularly serious violations of privacy rights online. In its paper, the BMI rejects the adoption of a specific law to regulate [...]

Raid on Islamic Groups in Germany

The German Interior Ministry ordered simultaneous raids in three states on Tuesday against what it called Salafist networks suspected of seeking the imposition of an Islamic state. The action signaled growing concern over the radical messages of some Islamic groups. The raids, in Bremen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, were not linked to a recent [...]

German administrative Court rejects El-Masri CIA rendition suit

[JURIST] A German administrative court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Khaled El-Masri seeking the arrest and extradition of 13 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents whom El-Masri claims kidnapped and illegally detained him in 2003 as part of the Bush administration’s extraordinary rendition program, according to a ruling made public Friday. The Cologne Administrative Court ruled [...]

Wikileaks cables describe US pressure on Germany in context of data sharing agreements

A number of cables from the Berlin embassy reveal the US concern on Germany’s position in the SWIFT, TFTP and the bilateral US-Germany data sharing agreements. A revealing cable from December 2009 (09BERLIN1528) on the SWIFT agreement describes how  German Minister of Interior de  Maiziere overruled Justice Minister Sabine  Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger and abstained from voting at [...]

Terror warnings in Germany have triggered a new debate on the country’s data protection laws

Der Spiegel reports that little progress has been made on a new draft data retention law, after the German court struck down the implementation of the EU Data Retention directive in March this year. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière, a member of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), has requested a new law allowing for the [...]

Wife of convicted terrorist on trial in Germany

The wife of a German convert to Islam who was convicted of plotting a thwarted attack on U.S. targets in Germany went on trial herself Friday on charges of supporting terrorist organizations. Filiz Gelowicz, 28, is accused of supporting the Islamic Jihad Union and the German Taliban Mujahideen by helping provide 3,000 euro ($4,225) to [...]

Baader-Meinhof murder trial opens in Germany

The BBC reports that a former member of the radical far-left Red Army Faction (RAF) militant group is going on trial in Germany over the 1977 murder of a federal prosecutor. Verena Becker, 58, was arrested last year for her suspected role in the ambush of Siegfried Buback. Two men escorting him were also shot [...]

Al-Qaeda-linked ‘terror plot’ targeting Europe foiled

There has been lots of news about this threat, but what do we know exactly? Targets: Britain, France, Germany, the United StatesIt is claimed that intelligence agencies have disrupted an Al-Qaeda-linked plot to launch terrorist attacks in Britain, France and Germany “similar to the commando-style 2008 Mumbai attacks“, reports said.Militants based in Pakistan had been [...]

Germany court allows surveillance of left-wing political party

(JURIST) A German federal court on Wednesday ruled the government’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (OPC) can keep tabs on members the socialist Left party using publicly available information. The decision overturns a ruling by a state court in North Rhine-Westphalia, which had said it was not appropriate for Germany’s intelligence agency [...]

ECJ declares DHKP-C inclusion on the list invalid after German court asks preliminary question

In E and F the Grand Chamber considered another terrorism case, concluding that the organisation DHKP-C’s inclusion on the terrorism list was unlawful prior to 29 June 2007, for failure to give reasons, meaning that such inclusion “can form no part of the basis for a criminal conviction linked to an alleged infringement of Regulation [...]