Overview

• Freiheitsfonds used donations to buy out the sentences of around 110 people jailed for travelling without tickets on June 12, bringing its total to about 1,400 inmates freed since launching.
• Under Paragraph 265a of Germany’s criminal code, fare evaders risk up to one year in prison or fines and often serve replacement sentences if unable to pay.
• The campaign highlights that incarcerated offenders are predominantly unemployed, homeless or from low-income backgrounds and lack legal representation.
• Since its inception, Freiheitsfonds estimates it has saved the state roughly 20 million euros in detention costs by funding early releases.
• Project founder Arne Semsrott is calling on SPD Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig to remove criminal penalties for fare evasion to ease burdens on courts and prisons.