Subject: Access to Information and other Violations of Human Rights in Germany
From: Walter Keim
Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:29:23 +0100
To: research@eumc.europa.eu

Walter Keim, E-mail: walter.keim@gmail.com
Torshaugv. 2 C
N-7020 Trondheim, 1. March 2006
 
 
Fundamental Rights Agency
EU
Rahlgasse 3
A-1060 Vienna  
Austria  
 
Submission: Access to Information and other Violations of Human Rights in Germany 
 
 
Madam/Sir,
 
I refer to Article 6 (1) of the TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION AND OF THE TREATY ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY:
 
The Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles which are common to the Member States..
 
Article 7 deals with sanctions in case of breach by a Member State of principles mentioned in Article 6(1).
 
I refer to the task of the Fundamental Rights Agency opened today to (See MEMO/05/231 EMBARGO : 3 PM "Questions & Answers on the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights"):
 
"The Agency will address the problems with the availability, comparability and quality of data on fundamental rights across the Union. Even if there exists a valuable amount of monitoring and reporting on fundamental rights by different international and European actors, there are still problems, for instance because these reports do not cover all Member States or they cover different time periods of they do not relate to Community law. The large body of existing work requires also data management to pick up the relevant information needed for Union policy making.
 
The Agency will improve the coordination between the national human rights institutes. It is also hoped to encourage the Member States to create independent human rights institutes.
 
The Agency will build up a systematic and permanent dialogue between the EU and national and European non-governmental organisations. The bodies of the Agency include a Fundamental Rights Forum consisting of representatives of the civil society. There is also a real need for awareness-raising within the general public."
 
"The Agency’s work focuses clearly on the situation of fundamental rights in the Union and its Member States as well as in those Candidate Countries which have agreed to participate in the Agency."
 
 
 
I also refer to the task of the UN Special Rapporteur "to seek and receive credible and reliable information from governments and non-governmental organizations and any other parties who have knowledge of these cases; and to submit annually to the Commission a report covering the activities relating to his or her mandate, containing recommendations to the Commission and providing suggestions on ways and means to better promote and protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression in all its manifestations." In addition I refer to the report: E/CN.4/2005/64 of 17 December 2004 on CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS chapter II Issue A, point 36 on implementing the right of access to information.
 
In European Union law, the Four Freedoms are protected by Treaty provisions, secondary legislation and court decisions, protecting the ability of Goods, Services, Capital, and Labour to move freely within the Internal Market of the European Union. Human rights in candidate states have been evaluated before membership was given, however human rights in "old" member states were up to now forgotten to protect. Therefore the work of the Fundamental Rights Agency is very important.
 

8 states in Germany lack the human right of access to information. Unfortunately this is only the top of the iceberg of mnay more human right violations of Freedom of Opinion, Information, Association and Right to Fair Trial: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/de_human_rights.htm
 

(..) details see: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/eu-hra-complaint.htm
 

Unfortunately Germany does not follow the conventions of the Council of Europe here. The EU Commission and the EU Council do not actively support an "area of freedom, security and justice" with a "guarantee for the principles of democracy and respect for human rights", according to Com 2002/0247 but ceases financing the EU Network of Independent Experts. Therefore I would like to ask the Fundamental Rights Agency und UN for support to collext appropriate information and actions towards German parliaments.
 
I appreciate that CoE, OSCE, PACE, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), FOIAdvocates, Access Info Europe, ARTICLE 19 und die Open Society Justice Initiative observe Germany. But I think that is not enough. Therefore I try to force progress by case Keim v. Germany ECHR Appl. No. 41126/05. However it may take many years, before the ECHR will decide on this case. Fortunately case Sdruženi Jihoceské Matky v. Czech Republic ECHR Decision 19101/03 and Application no. 11721/04. GERAGUYN KHORHURD PATGAMAVORAKAN AKUMB v. ARMENIA have recognized a human right of access to receive information.
 
Unfortunately my favourite lawyer Claus Plantiko for the ECHR case Keim v. Germany is threatened to loose his lisence. Therefore I did a intervention. Lawyers who are critical to the human right violations in Germany can with help of a monopoly dating back to a law on legal advice from 1935 be fired from the bar, which means a Berufsverbot. 
 
Since I have no possibility to even get an answer from government, federal parliament on human rights (it took 3 years on freedom of information) and no fair answer from constitutional court, I would appreciate your work to supply quality data on missing compliance with CoE/UN/OSCE/IFH/EU human right principles.
 
Any other action to promote Freedom of Information and other human rights in Germany is welcomed.

Sincerely,

Walter Keim
Keim v. Germany: ECHR Appl. No. 41126/05: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-061101.htm
Human Right violations in Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/de_human_rights.htm
 Support freedom of information: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/foi.htm#e-mail

Copy: German Institute of Human Rights, German Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Security and Cooperation in Europe, CoE Human Rights Commissioner, Chancellor (Bundeskanzlerin), Landtagspräsident von Baden-Württemberg, Ministerpräsident von Baden-Württemberg, Committee of Petitions of German Federal Parliament and 8 German states (Länder) without Freedom of Information

Enclosure:

  1.  Letter of 11 July 2002 of the Courrier Citoyen d'Europe of the European parliament: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/020711eu.htm
  2.  19. October 2004: Access to documents in German Consulate in Trondheim/Norway: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/vg-entwurf-en.htm
  3.  Letter of 21. November 2005: € 770.- for 15 copies: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/051121vg.htm
  4.  EU Commission suggested 8 May 2002 to contact CoE: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/330166.htm
  5.  28. November 2003: Commissioner for Human Rights: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/coe-031128.htm
  6. 31. July 2005: Petition to 12 states in Germany without access to information: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/050731bl-en.htm
  7. Letter 11. November 2005 to doctors court: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/0511labw-en.htm
  8. The Law of Legal Advice of 13. December 1935: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/de_legal_advice_law_overview.htm
  9. Petition to German parliament on violations of human rights: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/petition_me-en.htm
  10. 17. November 2004: Germany violates human rights: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/eu-041117.htm
  11. Sueddeutsche Zeitung 14 June 2003: The Long Arm of the (Nazi) Law (“Der lange Atem eines Nazi-Gesetzes“): http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/bockmann_nazi_law.htm
  12. Dr. Niehenke: Fight against the Law of Legal Advice: http://home.broadpark.no/~wkeim/files/fight_legal_advice_law.htm
  13. Who is responsible for the lack of Freedom of Information (FOI) in 12 of 16 states in Germany?: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/I_accuse.htm
  14. Human right violations in Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/de_human_rights.htm
  15. 20. December 2005 the Constitutional Court dinies to admit constitutional complaint of 3. November 2006
  16. EU Parliament: 16. January 2006: EU/OSCE human rights principles are not yet covered by EU legislation.
  17. Berufsverbot sentence against Michael CSASZKOCZY Verwaltungsgericht Karlsruhe 15. March 2006. http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/060410vgk.htm. Chronology: http://www.gegen-berufsverbote.de/lib/international/chronoenglish.html
  18. 16.June 2006: The contract of the EU Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights finishes in September 2006 and will not be renewed. http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/eu-network-060616.htm
  19. Professor J. Wieland: "Freedom of information":  http://www.mpp-rdg.mpg.de/pdf_dat/wieland.pdf
  20. The highest Court in Rheinland-Pfalz LG Mainz  (1 QS 25/98): http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/lg_mainz-en.htm

Result:

Appendix: Internet publications:

  1. Case VG 2 A 85.04: Walter Keim vs. Federal Republic of Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/verwaltungsgericht-en.htm
  2. Letter of 27. February 2004 to the EU Commission to write a directive access to information: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/eu-complaint.htm
  3. 22. December 2004 the president of the German parliament send my petition to the government: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/041222btp.pdf 
  4. Complaint to the European Court of Human Rights 11 November: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-complaint.htm, http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-061101.htm
  5. 16. January 2002: Germany does not even translate recommendations of the CoE: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/020106coe.htm
  6. Complaint to the UN about lack of access to documents: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/un-complaint.htm
  7. Human right violations in Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/de_human_rights.htm
  8. Case 1 ZV 65/02: "Krumbiegel scandal": http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/031224anw.htm,
  9. Germany does not translate Recommendations of the Council of Europe: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/020106coe.htm,  http://wkeim.bplaced.net/020425eu.htm and http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/011223fischer.htm.
  10. Ausandern was sonnst?: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/auswandern.htm
  11. Letter to Schavan about Berufsverbote from the cold war time are back in Baden-Württemberg and Hesse (Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/schavan.htm.
  12. OStA GERNOT BLESSING unterlässt Anklage gegen in Italien verurteile SS-Mörder: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/blessing.htm
  13. Massacre of the 16. Panzergrenadierdivision "Reichsführer SS" in the Italian village of Sant`Anna di Stazz:  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant'Anna_di_Stazzema
  14. Verfassungsbeschwerde Dr. Kramer 1 BvR 737/00: http://www.forumjustizgeschichte.de/Wasch_mir_den_P.198.0.html
  15. Die Vertreibung des Rechts aus Deutschland: http://www.forumjustizgeschichte.de/Prof__Dr__Ingo.26.0.html
  16. Reichsärztekammer wurde am 13.12.35 gebildet (in Historische Fehlentscheidungen: Geburtsfehler des öffentlich-rechtlichen Gesundheitswesens) http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/geschichte_gesundheitswesen.htm
  17. Law on legal advice of 13. December 1935 about to fall? http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/031213rberg-en.htm
  18. Anwaltsmachterhalt mit kostenlosem Rechtsrat: http://www.adversario.de/article254.html
  19. The Schavan case, Berufsverbote from the cold war time are back in Baden-Württemberg and Hesse (Germany): http://www.gegen-berufsverbote.de/lib/international/chronoenglish.html.
  20. Letter to Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe about lack of access to information in Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/coe-complaint.htm
  21. 26. December 2003: Letter to Council of Europe about the situation in Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/coe-031226.htm
  22. Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are not followed by German courts shows lack of commitment to Europe: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,327801,00.html
  23. Comment to Caroline judgement: http://www.vbzv.de/rundschreiben/2004/RS-35-04/RS35-04.html
  24. German Press Council supported this critic of human rights: http://www.presserat.de/Show_Press_Release.229+M590aa95dbd0.0.html and sees a danger for press freedom: http://www.presserat.de/Show_Press_Release.229+M59a668525e5.0.html?&encryptionKey=434fdfgfh4Efdfd.
  25. German citizens have no right to get a fair justified answer to petitions: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/030310bvg-en.htm.
  26. Who is responsible that patient rights are insufficient in Germany?: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/accusation.htm
  27. Dissident Helmut Palmer: http://www.eucars.de/violatio/essay/violaeng.htm#Palmer
  28. Keim against Germany application No. 41126/05 at the European Court of Justice for human rights: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-061101.htm
  29. October 2006: Access to information failed in 8 German states: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/ifg-result.htm
  30. 8. Dec. 2006: President of the European Court for Human Rights puts Germany on notice: http://www.michael-hickman.info/jugendamt/ja_docs/0612108_AFP_wild_EMRG_eng.html (In German with comments)
  31. 21. November 2006: What will the Commissioner for Human Rights report on visiting Germany?: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/coe-0611.htm
  32. 02. January 2007: The German Presidents letter to Government and Parliament Declaring Consumer Information Law obviously unconstitutional. Why is the Human Right of Freedom of Information about Food taken away from Citizens although 90% Wished it according to Polls? 

 

 
Walter Keim
Keim v. Germany: ECHR Appl. No. 41126/05: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-061101.htm
8 German states violate the human right og freedom of information: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/ifg-result.htm
Promotion of Freedom of Information for Germany: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/coe-031128.htm, http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/osce-050106.htm, http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/ihf-060824.htm, http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/pace-060213.html, http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-061101.htm