Prof. Hans-Jürgen Papier, President of the Federal Constitutional Court from 2002 to 2010, on the subject of freedom of expression.
The podcast begins with the Federal Constitutional Court’s landmark Lüth ruling on freedom of expression (02:43). Prof. Papier warns that freedom of expression is not given sufficient consideration in legal practice, society or the media. At the same time, he also has words of praise for the Federal Constitutional Court. The podcast goes on to explore a series of questions:
Why is freedom of expression sometimes seen as a threat to democracy? (06:41)
Should there be a right to express opinions anonymously? (14:48)
How should ‘trusted flaggers’ be assessed from the perspective of the rule of law? (21:05)
Why are people who invoke freedom usually accused of selfishness? (41:26)
Finally (48:13), two perspectives are considered: how citizens view the state and how the state views citizens.