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Thuringia Holds Special Session Over Police Wiretap as Interior Minister Maier Faces Pressure

Lawmakers are weighing the ministry’s oversight following prosecutors’ confirmation of months-long monitoring of the police staff council.

Overview

  • The AfD forced a special Landtag session focused on the Interior Ministry’s handling of internal police probes and is demanding Georg Maier’s dismissal.
  • Maier told lawmakers the AfD is seeking political interference in ongoing investigations and said decisions on wiretaps and searches rest with prosecutors and courts.
  • Prosecutors in Gera confirmed that internal investigators monitored the Hauptpersonalrat’s phone for months and stated personnel representatives do not have privileged communications.
  • A court later ruled that March searches targeting sites including the state branch of the police union were unlawful, intensifying scrutiny of investigative methods.
  • The Internal Investigations unit was overseen by the Interior Ministry until late last year, raising accountability questions as union leaders call for clarification and consequences.