Prof. Dr. med. Sucharit Bhakdi

Type of persecution

• State criminal prosecution on suspicion of incitement to hatred (Section 130 of the German Criminal Code, StGB)

Accusation

• Charge: suspicion of incitement to hatred under Section 130 of the German Criminal Code (StGB)
• Background: an informational video, about 90 minutes long, on the gene-based vaccines, recorded in spring 2021. The judicial authorities took issue with a passage of around two minutes in which he commented on the conduct of the State of Israel and drew a historical comparison.

What actually happened?

In April 2021 I recorded an informational video of around 90 minutes on the dangers of the gene-based vaccines. The prosecuting authorities took issue with a passage of about two minutes in which I commented on the conduct of the State of Israel towards its population and drew a historical comparison.

The background to this were letters from Jewish Holocaust survivors who reached out to me asking me to make public what was, in their view, unbearable. In my statement I expressly affirmed my high regard for the Jewish people; my criticism was directed at Israel’s political conduct in connection with the vaccination campaign, not at people or ethnic affiliation.

On 23 May 2023 I was acquitted in first instance by the Plön District Court. The Senior Public Prosecutor’s Office Schleswig has filed an appeal; a hearing at the Kiel Regional Court is pending.

Current Status

• Acquittal in first instance by the Plön District Court (23 May 2023)
• Appeal lodged by the Senior Public Prosecutor’s Office Schleswig
• A hearing at the Kiel Regional Court has been scheduled; a date set for February 2025 was postponed due to illness. Since then, the proceedings have been held in abeyance.