ANNEN v. GERMANY – JUDGMENT
3
“The murder of human beings in Auschwitz was unlawful, but the morally degraded
NS-State allowed the murder of innocent people and did not make it subject to
criminal liability.” (“Die Ermordung der Menschen in Auschwitz war rechtswidrig,
aber der moralisch verkommene NS-Staat hatte den Mord an den unschuldigen
Menschen erlaubt und nicht unter Strafe gestellt.”)
12. Below this sentence the leaflet referred to the website
“www.babycaust.de”. This website, which was operated by the applicant,
contained, inter alia, an address list of so-called “abortion doctors”, in
which the day clinic and the full names of Dr M. and Dr R. were mentioned.
This list was accessible on the website under the link “death or
life”/“request for prayers for Germany” (Gebetsanliegen für Deutschland).
13. Dr M. and Dr R. filed a request for a civil injunction against the
applicant. They submitted that only legal abortions were performed at their
day clinic. The applicant’s leaflet created the erroneous impression that the
abortions performed were contrary to the relevant legal provisions.
14. On 22 January 2007 the Ulm Regional Court granted the requested
injunction and ordered the applicant to desist from further disseminating in
the immediate vicinity of the day clinic leaflets containing the plaintiffs’
names and the assertion that unlawful abortions were performed in the
plaintiffs’ medical practice. The Regional Court further ordered the
applicant to desist from mentioning the plaintiffs’ names and address in the
list of “abortion doctors” on the website “www.babycaust.de”.
15. The Regional Court considered that the statements in the applicant’s
leaflet made the incorrect allegation that abortions were performed outside
the legal conditions. This was not called into question by the further
explanation that the abortions were not subject to criminal liability, as the
whole layout of the leaflet was intended to draw the reader’s attention to the
first sentence set in bold letters, while the further additions were set in
smaller letters with the intent of dissimulating their content. The Regional
Court further considered that by singling out the plaintiffs, who had not
given him any reasons to do so, the applicant had created a so-called
“pillory effect”. The allegations raised by the applicant seriously interfered
with the plaintiffs’ personality rights. It followed that the applicant’s right to
freedom of expression had to cede.
16. The Regional Court considered that the same principles applied to
the mentioning of the plaintiffs’ names on the website entitled
“babycaust.de”. This implied a connection between the plaintiffs and crimes
which were, according to the applicant, comparable to the crimes committed
by the Nazis during the Holocaust, and was not covered by the applicant’s
freedom of expression and had thus not to be tolerated by the plaintiffs.
17. On 27 October 2007 the Stuttgart Court of Appeal rejected the
applicant’s appeal. It did not find it necessary to examine whether the text of
the leaflets had to be qualified as a statement of facts or as an expression of
opinion as, in any event, the applicant’s freedom of opinion had to cede.