Overview
- The Landgericht Bamberg overturned the Amtsgericht Bamberg’s April 2025 conviction and acquitted Deutschland-Kurier editor David Bendels.
- The presiding judge said the post, assessed in its overall context, was an opinion covered by free speech rather than a defamatory factual claim or smear.
- The public prosecutor likewise called for acquittal, aligning with the defense’s position that the satirical character was recognizable.
- The case centered on a February 2023 X post that altered an Interior Ministry photo of Nancy Faeser from “We remember” to “Ich hasse die Meinungsfreiheit!” with the portal captioning it “Faeser hasst Meinungsfreiheit!”.
- The first-instance sentence had imposed seven months suspended with probation terms including €1,500 to the Kreisverkehrswacht Bamberg and a written apology, while the new ruling is not yet legally final and could be challenged on revision, a dispute that also highlights debates over §188 StGB and satire online.