News Archive

70 Years of Human Rights [2]

Press conference on the "Secular Week of Human Rights" on November 12 in the House of the Federal Press Conference

2018/11/02

"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good," said Thomas Paine, leading pioneer of the idea for human rights. The press conference on the "Secular Week of Human Rights" on November 12, 2018, at the House of the Federal Press Conference explains the largely overlooked background of the UN Declaration of Human Rights as well as its current threats posed by Trump, Putin, Erdogan, & co. In addition, it examines the practical significance of human rights work by illuminating the fates of those who fled to Germany from political Islam.

Criminal Charges Against Sexual Offenders in the Catholic Church Throughout Germany [3]

Lawyers demand preliminary investigations in all German dioceses

2018/10/29

Much has been said about the abuse scandal, now it is time to act: Six renowned law professors in collaboration with the Insitut für Weltanschauungsrecht (ifw) filed criminal charges with the public prosecutor's offices responsible for the 27 dioceses in Germany on Friday. In their eleven-page explanatory statement the legal experts argue that in the Catholic abuse scandal there is an urgent need to initiate "investigation measures to convict the perpetrators", "for example, to investigate archives and confiscate complete, non-anonymous files".

"Weltbürger statt Reichsbürger!" [4]

In Berlin findet vom 11.-18. November die "Säkulare Woche der Menschenrechte" statt

2018/10/22

Die universellen Menschenrechte sind durch den Vormarsch von Nationalisten und Fundamentalisten weltweit bedroht. Aus diesem Grund erinnert die "Säkulare Woche der Menschenrechte" (Berlin, 11.-18. November) an die weltbürgerliche Haltung, die der "Allgemeinen Erklärung der Menschenrechte" zugrunde liegt. Mit von der Partie sind u.a. Richard Dawkins, Hamed Abdel-Samad, Ingrid Matthäus-Maier, Michael Schmidt-Salomon, Mina Ahadi, Michael Shermer und Philipp Möller.

Islam Criticism instead of Anti-Muslim Xenophobia [5]

gbs defends participation in the demo #unteilbar

2018/10/14

The Giordano Bruno Stiftung supported the mass demonstration #unteilbar (#indivisible) in Berlin, where on Saturday more than 240,000 people set an example for "an open and solidary society". Since organizations and individuals who do not convincingly seem to be committed to an "open society" also took part in this demonstration, the participation of gbs in #unteilbar met with some sharp criticism. The foundation responded to the critics with a short but clear statement.

Successful Defeat [6]

Kristina Hänel overcomes another hurdle on the way to the Federal Constitutional Court

2018/10/12

Usually defendants hope for acquittal - unlike physician Kristina Hänel. In order to legally overturn the controversial § 219a of the German Criminal Code (StGB), she could not be acquitted in today's court hearing at the Giessen regional court. After the "successful defeat" in Giessen, Kristina Hänel can now appeal against the decision and is thus one step further on the way to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.

Fewer Church Members, More Non-Denominationals [7]

fowid publishes overview of religious affiliations in Germany 2017

2018/10/10

In 2017 the Roman Catholic Church lost 269,000 members in Germany, the Protestant Church (EKD) lost as many as 394,000. The group of nondenominational people grew by 499,000 persons, the group of denominational Muslims by 105,000. This is shown in an overview of the Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland, which was recently published on its website.

"The Beginning of the End of Church Labour Law in Germany!" [8]

Legal experts welcome today's ECJ ruling

2018/09/11

The legal experts of the Institut für Weltanschauungsrecht welcome today's judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which declared the dismissal of a chief physician for "lack of loyalty" to the Catholic Church to be prohibited discrimination according to Art. 21 of the Charter of the European Union. Ingrid Matthäus-Maier, former deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group, ifw advisory board member and spokeswoman for the "Campaign against Religious Discrimination in the Workplace", described the verdict as "the beginning of the end of church labour law in Germany".

The Binding of Administration to Law and Order Must Not Be Negotiable [9]

Open letter to Minister of Justice Dr. Katarina Barley

2018/09/05

Yesterday the Insitut für Weltanschauungsrecht (ifw) sent an open letter to the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection, Katarina Barley. This was prompted by the refusal of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) to implement a decision of the highest court.

How should IT work? [10]

gbs publishes position paper on the consequences of digitization

2018/09/04

Technological progress provides people with ever more effective tools - but according to which ethical criteria should they be used? The latest brochure produced by the Giordano Bruno Stiftung titled "How should IT work?" examines this question and how universal human rights can be defended in the age of digitization.

The Blind Spot of the German Legal System [11]

Essay published on disregard of worldview neutrality

2018/08/14

In an essay on legal philosophy, philosopher and spokesman of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung Michael Schmidt-Salomon criticizes the disregard for the state's ideological neutrality and explains how the ensuing "illegitimate restriction of civil liberties" could be overcome. One issue he addresses is the responsibility of parliamentarians, who are by no means allowed to refer to their "religious conscience" in legislative procedures. Rather, they are obliged by the "conscience formula" of the constitution to follow the commandment of ideological neutrality.

demo2.jpg [1]