Press
He was once head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, then he himself came under the attention of the authorities: Hans-Georg Maaßen is suing the domestic secret service. He doesn't want data collected about him.
Erfurt – Former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, says he is taking legal action against his former authority. Maaßen explained at the request of the German Press Agency that a lawsuit was filed with the Cologne Administrative Court against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution on Friday evening. The Nius portal had previously reported on it. The Cologne Administrative Court was initially not available to confirm receipt of the lawsuit.
At the end of January it became known that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) had stored data on its former president in the authority's information system in the area of right-wing extremism. Maaßen accuses Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) of using the domestic secret service “to observe government opponents,” as he told the dpa. “Opponents of the government are not enemies of the constitution. In doing so, she is seriously violating her official duties and thereby damaging liberal democracy,” said Maaßen. That's why he filed a lawsuit. Faeser is “unbearable” as Interior Minister and must be “immediately removed.”
Statement of claim: 40 pages and 165 pages of appendices
According to Maaßen, the statement of claim comprises 40 pages and 165 pages of appendices – excerpts are available to the dpa. This shows that Maaßen objects to the fact that “he was classified by the defendant/respondent as an object of observation or is currently being treated”. Accordingly, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution should also refrain from collecting, evaluating, collecting and storing information, personal data, information, news and documents on measures.
The document accuses the authority of illegal and unconstitutional actions. “Apparently the BfV initially bases its assessment on the fact that a right-wing extremist mentioned the plaintiff/applicant in a letter; Another person is said to have shared videos of the plaintiff/applicant on Facebook (…),” the complaint states. The argument goes that such third-party actions are irrelevant under constitutional protection law. There is no legal basis for observing or classifying Maaßen as an individual.
Maaßen is federal chairman of the Values Union party, which was founded in mid-February and plans to run in the East German state elections in the fall. dpa
#Maaßen #suing #Office #Protection #Constitution