{"id":183,"date":"2026-01-09T10:50:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T09:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/?p=183"},"modified":"2026-02-04T09:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:28:28","slug":"exil-aus-politischen-grunden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/exil-aus-politischen-grunden\/","title":{"rendered":"Exile for political reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why I Was Convicted \u2014 and Why Those Convictions Should Have Been Overturned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">This exile is not a personal retreat. It is the result of a political and legal process that exemplarily shows how <strong>freedom of expression<\/strong>, <strong>judicial interpretation<\/strong>, and the <strong>political climate<\/strong> intersect \u2014 and in doing so can drift away from the rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marla Svenja L Wie Richter Mertens aus Polemik Volksverhetzung macht \u2013 die Meinungsfreiheit zertritt\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e-t2IpPEIuc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I name names. Because accountability is not an anonymous principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading translation-block\">The key figure: <strong>Ursula Mertens<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">At the center is <strong>Ursula Mertens<\/strong>, presiding judge of the 1st Criminal Senate at the <strong>Naumburg Higher Regional Court<\/strong>.<br>Her decision of May 15, 2025 (1 ORs 21\/25) dismissed the appeal against my conviction. Not because of a lack of arguments, but \u2014 in my view \u2014 <strong>because of a maximally politicized interpretation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Attorney <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DSchmitz660799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dirk Schmitz<\/a><\/strong> has sharply and pointedly characterized this judge in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexander-wallasch.de\/gastbeitraege\/kampf-gegen-rechts-richterin-ursula-mertens-daumen-runter-fuer-svenja-liebich\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his article<\/a>. This characterization matters \u2014 not as a smear, but as <strong>criticism of a judicial style<\/strong> that has drifted away from constitutional guardrails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Freisler-like tone instead of constitutional balancing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">What characterizes the reasoning of the judgment is less its legal substance than its <strong>moral dramatization<\/strong>. Instead of a sober analysis, there was <strong>assumption<\/strong>, <strong>generalization<\/strong>, and <strong>exaggeration<\/strong> \u2014 consistently to the detriment of the defendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is reminiscent of a Freisler-esque approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Condemnation instead of differentiation<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ideological scrutiny instead of assessment of the act<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maximalist interpretation instead of respect for fundamental rights<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">No one claims an identity with Nazi-era justice. But <strong>style, tone, and method<\/strong> are the issue. The rule of law does not live by outcomes alone, but by the <strong>path taken to reach them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The central legal violation: ambiguous interpretation to the detriment of the defendants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">According to the established case law of the <strong>Federal Constitutional Court<\/strong>, the following applies:<br><strong>Ambiguous statements may not be interpreted to the detriment of the accused in criminal law.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">That is exactly what happened here.<br>A polemical, provocative, tasteless \u2014 yes \u2014 <strong>expression of opinion<\/strong> was interpreted as if I had made a <strong>factual claim about all refugees<\/strong>. This generalization <strong>does not exist in the wording<\/strong>, but was constructed in order to satisfy \u00a7 130 of the German Criminal Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">This is not interpretation; it is <strong>reinterpretation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The conflation of opinion and fact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">The contested passages were part of a <strong>political dispute<\/strong>, directed at counter-demonstrators (\u201cOmas gegen Rechts\u201d). The core was <strong>value judgment<\/strong>, not a statement of fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">The Federal Constitutional Court explicitly protects even <strong>exaggerated, polemical, and offensive opinions<\/strong>, as long as they are not asserted as verifiable statements of fact. This dividing line was ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Human Dignity as a Blunt Instrument<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Particularly problematic is the reasoning that my statements allegedly <strong>denied human dignity to all refugees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Human dignity is the <strong>highest constitutional threshold<\/strong>. It is not violated merely because language is harsh, cynical, or offensive.<br>A violation of human dignity requires that people be portrayed <strong>as inferior, without rights, or no longer belonging to the community<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">This threshold was <strong>asserted, but not substantiated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Incitement Without a Threat to Public Peace?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Section 130 of the German Criminal Code requires more than moral outrage. It requires a <strong>qualified capacity to disturb the public peace<\/strong>.<br>A single provocative speech in the context of a demonstration \u2014 without proven escalation \u2014 does not meet this threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">The reasoning remains <strong>abstract<\/strong>, not concrete. That is not sufficient under criminal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The constitutional complaint: well-founded \u2014 and nevertheless dismissed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">My constitutional complaint was <strong>legally sound<\/strong>.<br>It addressed precisely these points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>incorrect interpretation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>disregard for ambiguity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>impermissible expansion of \u00a7 130 of the German Criminal Code<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>curtailment of Article 5 of the Basic Law<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">That it was nevertheless dismissed is not evidence of its weakness \u2014 but a <strong>signal of the political climate<\/strong>. When the issue became publicly charged, the will to correct was lacking. Even the highest judges are not immune to time pressure and prevailing expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Deep State \u2014 a Structure, Not a Slogan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">What becomes visible here is not a secret cabal. It is a <strong>functional entanglement<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>political expectation pressure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>media prejudgment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>judicial alignment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>institutional self-confirmation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">This is the <strong>deep state<\/strong> of the Federal Republic: not hidden, but effective through routines, careers, and conformity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Exile?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">Because a fair trial under these conditions became <strong>illusory<\/strong>.<br>Because judgments that should have been overturned were <strong>affirmed<\/strong>.<br>And because freedom is more than the mere existence of courts \u2014 it requires <strong>independence, courage, and distance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">My case is not an isolated one. It is a <strong>precedent of deterrence<\/strong>.<br>Those who say the wrong things are not refuted \u2014 they are criminalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am in exile.<br>But I have not been silenced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/my.shirtzshop.de\/keine-meinung-ist-illegal-meinungsfreiheit\/6296\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/my.shirtzshop.de\/keine-meinung-ist-illegal-meinungsfreiheit\/6296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shirts &amp; Stickers<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/my.shirtzshop.de\/keine-meinung-ist-illegal-meinungsfreiheit\/6296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" data-attachment-id=\"1558\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/exil-aus-politischen-grunden\/image-15\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png\" data-orig-size=\"200,200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png\" src=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3.png 200w, https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-3-12x12.png 12w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-in-marla-we-trust-marlas-army wp-block-embed-in-marla-we-trust-marlas-army\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"hTH1sAgqy2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/ja-ich-bin-linkspartei-mitglied\/\">Yes, I am a member of the Left Party.<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8222;Ja, ich bin Linkspartei-Mitglied.&#8220; &#8211; In Marla We Trust - Marlas Army\" src=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/ja-ich-bin-linkspartei-mitglied\/embed\/#?secret=fN6Usz6xz0#?secret=hTH1sAgqy2\" data-secret=\"hTH1sAgqy2\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-in-marla-we-trust-marlas-army wp-block-embed-in-marla-we-trust-marlas-army\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"WWqbubR0hH\"><a href=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/ich-war-fluechtlingshelferin-2016-und-ich-wurde-mit-einem-maennernamen-angesprochen\/\">Ich war Fl\u00fcchtlingshelferin (2016) \u2013 und ich wurde mit einem M\u00e4nnernamen angesprochen<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8222;Ich war Fl\u00fcchtlingshelferin (2016) \u2013 und ich wurde mit einem M\u00e4nnernamen angesprochen&#8220; &#8211; In Marla We Trust - Marlas Army\" src=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/ich-war-fluechtlingshelferin-2016-und-ich-wurde-mit-einem-maennernamen-angesprochen\/embed\/#?secret=vsmK6YMOWk#?secret=WWqbubR0hH\" data-secret=\"WWqbubR0hH\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transparency Notice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission. There is no additional cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Reading on Freedom of Expression, the Judiciary, and Political Persecution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcd8 <strong>The Terrible Jurists \u2014 Ingo M\u00fcller<\/strong><br>A classic work on the continuities of the German judiciary from the Nazi era into the Federal Republic. Essential reading for understanding why the judiciary is never automatically neutral.<br>\ud83d\udc49 Amazon: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4qeZjmz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/4qeZjmz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcd5 <strong>1984 \u2013 George Orwell<\/strong><br>Not a novel, but a guide to recognizing political distortion of language, ideological justice, and abuse of power.<br>\ud83d\udc49 Amazon: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/45Be2zH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/45Be2zH<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcd7 <strong>Rule of Law at an End \u2014 Ralph Knispel<\/strong><br>Analysis of the erosion of rule-of-law principles under political pressure \u2014 highly relevant in the context of my case.<br>\ud83d\udc49 Amazon: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YA0SiC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YA0SiC<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcd9 <strong>Freedom of Expression \u2014 Ronen Steinke<\/strong><br>Why freedom of expression does not end where it becomes uncomfortable \u2014 and how courts are increasingly restricting it.<br>\ud83d\udc49 Amazon: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4aWG1gZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/amzn.to\/4aWG1gZ<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why These Books Are Listed Here<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph translation-block\">They provide the <strong>theoretical and historical foundation<\/strong> for what my case demonstrates in practice:<br>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>How jurisprudence becomes political.<\/strong><br>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>How interpretation turns into a weapon.<\/strong><br>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Why exile is possible within a formal rule-of-law state.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"marlas-author-box\">\n  <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/marla-svenja-liebich\/\">Marla Svenja Liebich<\/a><\/strong>\n  is the author and publisher of <strong>Marlas Army<\/strong>.<br>\n  On Marla\u2019s Army, she publishes analyses, commentary, and personal accounts on social and political developments in Germany.\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Warum ich verurteilt wurde \u2013 und warum diese Urteile h\u00e4tten aufgehoben werden m\u00fcssen Dieses Exil ist kein pers\u00f6nlicher R\u00fcckzug. Es ist die Folge eines politischen und juristischen Vorgangs, der exemplarisch zeigt, wie Meinungsfreiheit, richterliche Auslegung und politischer Zeitgeist ineinandergreifen \u2013 und sich dabei vom Rechtsstaat entfernen k\u00f6nnen. Ich nenne Namen. Denn Verantwortlichkeit ist kein anonymes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26,27],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exil-posts","category-marlas-leben","tag-exil"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/234d9fcb-d401-44c9-ac47-40cb6a7b3573.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1560,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183\/revisions\/1560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marlas.army\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}