Germany's state justice ministers approved a proposal at their spring meeting in Hamburg to limit expanded penalties for insults against senior politicians.
The ministers agreed that Paragraph 188 of the Criminal Code should apply only to local office holders and elected representatives in future. Insults against senior politicians would instead fall under the general rules of Paragraph 185, which carry lower penalties and require a formal complaint.
Saxony and Baden-Württemberg had submitted the proposal. Saxony's justice minister Constanze Geiert said top politicians do not need special criminal-law protection. Baden-Württemberg's minister Moritz Oppelt stressed the need to protect local politicians.
Paragraph 188 was tightened in 2021. Any reform now requires action by the Bundestag.
