Overview
- The Higher Regional Court in Jena upheld a Landgericht Gera decision not to open main proceedings, so no Volksverhetzung trial will proceed.
- The order is final, with no further legal remedies available against the refusal to open a criminal case.
- The judge’s Facebook post referred to Sinti and Roma as “Rotationseuropäer mit Eigentumzuordnungsschwäche,” which prosecutors said equated them with travelling theft gangs.
- Judges called the remark a grossly tasteless and defamatory lapse that neither expressed hatred nor attacked human dignity, and noted a separate honor‑related offence could be pursued if a formal Strafantrag is filed.
- Linke lawmaker Katharina König‑Preuss, who filed a 2024 complaint, condemned the ruling and urged disciplinary action; the judge previously handled asylum cases in Gera and is now seconded to the Thuringian Justice Ministry.