Criminal Prosecution of Holocaust Denial in Germany

Abstract

Currently, they are attracting public attention and causing public resonance problems associated with the reassessment of the feat of the Soviet people in World War II. Various kinds of insinuations arise related to the denial of the persecution and mass extermination of Jews living in Germany, in the territory of its allies and in the territories occupied by them during the Second World War; the systematic persecution and extermination of European Jews by Nazi Germany and collaborators during 1933-1945. Practice shows that those guilty of Holocaust denial try to avoid criminal liability and influence judicial practice, referring to freedom of speech enshrined in Art. 5 Abs. 1 of the Basic Law of Germany. The purpose of the article. Investigate the institution of criminal responsibility for Holocaust denial in Germany. Based on an analysis of the norms of criminal law and judicial practice in Germany in specific criminal cases, investigate the difficulty of delimiting criminal liability for denying the Holocaust freedom of expression. Methodology and methods. For the purposes of this article, the author uses the methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, diduction, as well as comparative legal, historical legal and historical comparative methods. Conclusions. After conducting a study, the author concludes that in Germany the issue of criminal liability for Holocaust denial is complex. The article points out the fact of heterogeneity of court decisions, analysis of judicial practice shows that this issue is resolved extremely ambiguously. Despite this, the author points out the high role of the legislator and the practice of law enforcement in shaping the right attitude to historical events, the high role of peoples in certain significant facts that are part of the foundation of historical and cultural heritage. Scope of the results. This work may be of interest to students of higher educational institutions, as well as graduate students interested in criminal law of foreign countries. The article can be used by teachers of law schools as an addition to the educational material.