Overview
- The Administrative Court in Oldenburg ruled Monday that former police president Johann Kühme partially violated neutrality and objectivity duties with remarks about the AfD in a 2023 newspaper interview.
- Judges said a police president may speak on internal-security matters, yet some of Kühme’s formulations overstepped legal limits for officeholders.
- The court ordered Kühme to acknowledge that the statements concerning the AfD’s Lower Saxony branch were unlawful, and the police directorate was instructed to publicly withdraw the contested passages within a month.
- Oldenburg police leadership said it respects the decision and will review the written reasoning before deciding whether to seek leave to appeal in Lüneburg.
- AfD officials hailed the decision as a success with a signal effect, while Kühme told reporters he stands by his statements.