A German man who described a judge as “obviously mentally disturbed” — after the judge issued a light sentence to a Syrian who raped a 15-year-old girl — was slapped with a €5,000 fine for “insulting” the judge. This fine given to Paul S., whose name has been changed to protect his identity, was fine almost double the fine given to the Syrian rapist. The Syrian not only did not have to serve prison time but was even complimented during his trial by the district judge for his integration efforts.
The judge in the case issued a suspended sentence, a form of probation, to the 30-year-old Syrian rapist, and he only had to pay his victim the sum of €3,000.
Paul S. wrote an angry email to the district court judge due to the sentence, which he found to be unfair.
The penalty issued against Paul S. was later reduced after an appeal, with the man ordered to pay a third of the original fine.
German news outlet NIUS obtained documents related to the case from the Wiesbaden District Court, which showed the prosecutor charged Paul S. due to his email, which was allegedly written in a “defamatory manner.” The man described the judge as “mentally disturbed.”
The rape case originally took place in Osnabrück in 2022 when a drunk 30-year-old Syrian raped a 15-year-old girl who was simply walking home. The judge only sentenced the Syrian to two years’ probation with no prison time.
The judge not only issued the man no prison time, but actually complimented him during his sentencing due to the man’s “positive” development in German society.
The judge said these words verbatim at a rape trial in which the man was convicted: “You are well on your way to becoming a completely normal citizen here.”
The judge the also literally said that the rape intensity was “at the lower end.”
Germany is increasingly raiding and prosecuting critics of government officials and politicians for “insults.” These insults can be as simple as calling a politician an “idiot,” or in the case of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the “worst foreign minister ever.”
Free speech advocates say that Germany is veering towards autocracy, where any critic of the government can face police raids and prosecutions. In some cases, courts have overruled these fines and prosecutions in order to preserve free speech rights.
