Vijesti ROMI.HR

Europskog suda za ljudska prava je odbio predstavku Pastörsa, vođe krajnje desničarske Nacionalne demokratske stranke. U toj predstavci Pastörs tvrdi da je, proglasivši ga krivim u Njemačkoj zbog toga što je u govoru u pokrajinskom parlamentu poricao Auschwitz, povrijeđeno njegovo pravo na slobodu izražavanja.

Dan nakon što je u pokrajinskom parlamentu u Mecklenburg – Vorpommern (Zapadno Pomorje, sjeveroistočna Njemačka) obilježen 27. siječanj, Međunarodni dan sjećanja na Holokaust, Ugo Pastörs održao je govor u pokrajinskom parlamentu. U svom obraćanju, zastupnik krajnje desnice tvrdio je da se „takozvani Holokaust upotrebljava u političke i komercijalne svrhe“. Pored toga, Pastors je optužio članove Landtaga (pokrajinskog parlamenta) da su „nametnuli […] projiciranje Auschwitza njemačkom narodu“ i zaključuje: „Nadate se, dame i gospodo, pobjedi laži nad istinom“.

Njemački sud proglasio je Ugo Pastörsa krivim prema člancima 187. i 189. njemačkog Kaznenog zakona koji se odnose na klevetu žrtava Holokausta i povredu sjećanja na mrtve. Osuđen je na uvjetnu kaznu zatvora u trajanju od 8 mjeseci, koja je potvrđena i nakon žalbe. Nakon toga, ovaj političar krajnje desnice podnijeo je zahtjev Europskom sudu za ljudska prava tvrdeći kako mu je izrečenom presudom prekršeno pravo na slobodu izražavanja zaštićeno člankom 10. Europske konvencije o ljudskim pravima.

Članak 10. Europske konvencije o ljudskim pravima glasi: „Svako ima pravo na slobodu izražavanja“. Međutim, sljedeći stavak jasno potvrđuje da sloboda „sa sobom donosi i dužnosti i odgovornosti“. U tom smislu, Sud je utvrdio da je Ugo Pastörs  „namjerno iznosio neistine u cilju klevetanja Židova“ i zaključio da su takve izjave „u suprotnosti s vrijednostima za koje se Konvencija zalaže“.

Prethodni slučajevi negiranja Holokausta nastali su kao posljedica izjave u TV emisijama, knjigama, ali u slučaju Ugo Pastörs takve tvrdnje su prvi put iznesene u parlamentu. Uobičajeno, zastupnici u predstavničkim tijelima imaju imunitet od progona za sve što izjave u parlamentu. Landtag Mecklenburg – Vorpommern, čiji je Ugo bio član, skinuo mu je imunitet što je Europski sud za ljudska prava podržao zaključujući kako: „takve izjave ne bi trebalo uživati malo ili nimalo zaštite ako je njihov smisao bio u suprotnosti s demokratskim vrijednostima“.

Holokaust, odnosno Shoah, je termin kojim se označava genocid nad Židovima u Europi tokom Drugog svjetskog rata. Žrtve progona nacističke Njemačke i njihovih saveznika bili su i Romi. Savezna Republika Njemačka (Zapadna Njemačka) je, 1982. godine, formalno priznala da je nacistička Njemačka izvršila genocid nad Romima. Spomenik sintskim i romskim žrtvama nacionalsocijalizma otkriven je u Berlinu 2012. godine.

Europski sud za ljudska prava je međunarodni sud, osnovan 1959. godine, kao tijelo Vijeća Europe. On odlučuje o predstavkama koje mogu podnijeti pojedinci ili države, a tiču se kršenja građanskih i poličkih prava sadržanih u Europskoj konvenciji o ljudskim pravima.

HOLOCAUST DENIAL IS NOT A FORM OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The protection of freedom of expression does not include Holocaust denial. That was the unanimous judgement of a Chamber of seven judges of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Udo Pastörs v. Germany.

On October 3rd the Court dismissed the application of Pastörs, a former leader of the far-right National Democratic Party, that his criminal conviction in Germany for making a “qualified Auschwitz denial” in a parliamentary speech violated his right to freedom of expression.

On January 28th 2010, the day after a parliamentary event to commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Northeast Germany), Udo Pastörs gave a speech at the regional assembly. In his address, the far-right representative asserted that “the so-called Holocaust is being used for political and commercial purposes”. Additionally, he accused the members of the Landtag of “imposing […] Auschwitz projections onto the German people” and concluded: “You are hoping, ladies and gentlemen, for the triumph of lies over truth”.

The German court found Udo Pastörs guilty under Articles 187 and 189 of the German Criminal Code of: (1) defamation of victims of the Holocaust and (2) violation of the memory of the dead. He was given a suspended prison sentence of eight months, upheld on appeal. Subsequently, the far-right politician lodged an application to the European Court of Human Rights arguing that his conviction was unlawful infringement of his right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

“Everyone has the right to freedom of expression”, Article 10 states. However, the second paragraph clearly stipulates that the exercise of this freedom “carries with it duties and responsibilities”. In that sense, the Court found that “the applicant had intentionally stated untruths to defame Jews” and concluded that such statements “ran counter to the values of the Convention”.

Previous Holocaust denial cases before the European Court of Human rights have come about as a result of statements in TV shows, books, and even comedy routine, but Udo Pastörs’s lawsuit was the first one to consider utterances in parliamentary context. Usually, members of legislatures are granted immunity from persecution for statements made in Parliament. The Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, whose member Pastörs was, however, lifted the latter’s immunity and as the European Court of Human Rights concludes “such utterances deserved little if any protection if their context was at odds with the democratic values”.

The Holocaust or the Shoah, is the term that denominates the World War II genocide of the European Jews. Targeted victims of Nazi Germany and its allies’ persecutions were also the Romani people. In 1982, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) formally recognized that Nazi Germany had committed genocide against the Romani. A Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism was officially opened in Berlin in 2012.

The European Court of Human Rights is an international court set up in 1959 as an organ of the Council of Europe. It rules on individual or State applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.