Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger | |
---|---|
Federal Minister of Justice | |
In office 28 October 2009 – 17 December 2013 | |
Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
Preceded by | Brigitte Zypries |
Succeeded by | Heiko Maas |
In office 18 May 1992 – 17 January 1996 | |
Chancellor | Helmut Kohl |
Preceded by | Klaus Kinkel |
Succeeded by | Edzard Schmidt-Jortzig |
Member of the Bundestag for Bavaria | |
In office 2 December 1990 – 22 September 2013 | |
Constituency | Free Democratic Party List |
Personal details | |
Born | Sabine Leutheusser 26 July 1951 Minden, West Germany |
Political party | Free Democratic Party |
Alma mater | University of Göttingen Bielefeld University |
Signature | |
Website | Official website |
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
Early life and work
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Sabine Leutheusser was born in
In 1975, she passed the first state exam in
Political career
In 1978 Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger became a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Since 1991 she has been a member of federal board of the FDP.
Member of the Bundestag and Federal Minister of Justice, 1992–96
From 12 December 1990 Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was a member of the German Bundestag. On 18 May 1992 she was sworn in as
Upon taking office, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger pushed for police receiving new training and equipment to counter extremism and tougher court sentences for those found guilty of extremist violence.[5]
In 1994, she publicly condemned a regional court for adulating radical rightist leader Günter Deckert after handing him a light sentence for Holocaust denial, calling the judges’ decision "a slap in the face to all victims of the Holocaust".[6] When Denmark agreed to extradite Gary Lauck, an American neo-Nazi charged with being the main supplier of illegal fascist propaganda to German authorities in 1995, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger called the decision a "great victory against right-wing extremism."[7]
In 1995 there was a broad public discussion in Germany about the invulnerability of the private domain by means of acoustic observation (Großer Lauschangriff, literally "big eavesdropping attack").
From May 1997 Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was a member of the Steering Committee of the FDP ("Präsidium"). On 2 December 2000 she also became FDP chairwoman for the Federal State of Bavaria. She served twice as Deputy Chairwoman of the FDP parliamentary group, from 2 February 2001 to 2 October 2002 and from 27 September 2005 until 28 October 2009.
Member of the Bundestag and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 1996–2009
Following her time in government, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger sharpened her profile as deputy parliamentary leader of the FDP and high-profile civil rights campaigner.[10] From 1999 to 2000 she was a member of an international inquiry commission of the United Nations to examine allegations of human rights violations in East Timor and submitted its report to secretary general Kofi Annan.[11]
During the 16th Legislative Term of the Bundestag between 2005 and 2009, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was spokeswoman on legal policy for the FDP parliamentary group, chairwoman of the FDP in the parliamentary committee on legal affairs and alternate member in the parliamentary committee on human rights and humanitarian aid. From 2009, she also served on the parliamentary body in charge of selecting the judges of the Highest Courts of Justice, namely the
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was also active in the Council of Europe. From 2003 to 2009 she was member of the German delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. As member of the Council of Europe's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, she conducted an investigative trip to Russia and authored a critical report on the country's judicial system.[12] In 2008, she presented a report to the Parliamentary Assembly on the investigation of the Gongadze case and other crimes of the Kuchma era in Ukraine. Titled Allegations of Politically Motivated Abuses of the Criminal Justice System in Council of Europe Member States, her 2009 report examined alleged abuses in Britain, Germany, France, and Russia.[13] Much of the document focused on Russia, detailing several recent cases that "give rise to concerns that the fight against 'legal nihilism' launched by President Medvedev is still far from won."[14] During an April 2009 visit to Ukraine, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, co-rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, cautiously encouraged reform of the parliamentary system in Ukraine. She also expressed regret that those who ordered Georgiy Gongadze's murder had still not been brought to justice.[15]
In 2008, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger – in her role as chairwoman of the FDP in Bavaria – successfully ran the party's election campaign in the Bavarian state elections that year, where the FDP reentered the state parliament after 14 years of absence.[citation needed]
Federal Minister of Justice, 2009–13
In the negotiations to form a
Between 2009 and 2013, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger served as
In 2010, former president of the Federal Constitutional Court
In 2011, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger became one of the first prominent Free Democratic politicians to suggest a change in the party's top leadership. She recommended that the incumbent Guido Westerwelle be replaced by Christian Lindner, then the party's general secretary.[20]
Ahead of the 2013 elections, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was elected to lead her party's campaign in the state of Bavaria.[21]
Candidacy for Secretary General of the Council of Europe, 2013–14
In 2013, the new German government announced Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger's candidacy for the office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.[22][23] From December 2013, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger visited more than 20 member states.
In the first round of the election on 24 June 2014, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger lost against incumbent Thorbjørn Jagland who obtained an absolute majority.[24]
Later career
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger continues to be a frequent commentator on human rights and data protection in German media. In 2014, she was appointed to an advisory council established by Google on implementing the right to be forgotten.[25]
Since 2014 Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has been a Member of the executive board of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
Political views
On crime and prosecutions
Soon after taking office in 2009, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger demanded that US courts could not seek the death penalty for terrorists
Under legislation introduced by Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger following a wave of revelations about Catholic priest abusing minors in 2011, Germans who were sexually abused as children today have as long as 30 years after they turn 21 to bring accusations in court; the previous statute of limitations on civil abuse cases was three years.[29] The minister also urged the church to compensate victims and participate in a "round table" with their representatives.[30]
On data protection
In 2010, talking about issues like privacy and copyright, she complained about
In response to the
Shortly after, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger sent two letters to the British justice secretary,
On LGBT rights
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger long sought to make
On rule of law in Russia
After a Russian court found deceased lawyer Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion in 2013, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger condemned the posthumous verdict, saying on Twitter: "The conviction of the dead Magnitsky is further evidence of the Sovietization of Russia." A presidential human rights commission headed by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had found in 2011 that the charges against the lawyer had been fabricated.[46]
With regard to the
On 3 March 2015, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger attended the funeral of Russian politician
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger called chancellor Angela Merkel to show commitment to convince Russian president
On the fight against terrorism
After then-Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble confirmed in late 2005 that, under the previous government led by Gerhard Schröder, German agents had interviewed Mohammed Haydar Zammar, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger condemned these methods: "If you're not allowed to torture, then you're not allowed to profit from information that may have been obtained through kidnapping and torture."[51]
During a domestic debate on anti-terrorism legislation, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger in 2010 warned that passenger profiling in German airports where passengers are categorized as high or low risk based on, among other things, their ethnic background, might fall foul of German and European law.[52]
On arms exports
In the Federal Security Council (Bundessicherheitsrat), Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was one of the most vocal critics of German arms exports to Saudi Arabia. In 2011, she initially opposed Merkel when the Council discussed Saudi Arabia's request for up to 270 Leopard 2 tanks, but then she deferred to the cabinet's decision. Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger did not attend a Council meeting in December 2012 when the ministers voted on the purchase of a few hundred "Boxer" armed transport vehicles.[53]
On European integration
During the
On Vergangenheitsbewältigung of German Nazi pastlko;
During the period of Reunification in the 1990s', Leutheusser Schnarrenberger, as Minister of Justice, refused to return eight buildings in East Germany belonging to six Austrian Jewish citizens. Allgemeine Judische Wochenzeitung; 10 September 1992; "Expropriation through the back door; German Government adds to its coffers / Loopholes in German bureaucracy make Injustice permanent." ("Enteignung durch die Hintertur. Der Bund bereichert sich / winkelzuge deutscher burokratie schreiben unrecht fest").
In the 2012 Munich artworks discovery, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger refused to retroactively extend the statute of limitations in order to prosecute Cornelius Gurlitt, the 80-year-old who hoarded artworks for half a century, urging him instead to acknowledge he has "moral as well as legal obligations."[56]
Other activities
Corporate boards
- Deutsche Telekom, Member of the Data Privacy Advisory Board (2009)
Non-profits
- Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Vice Chair of the advisory board (since 2020)[57]
- Deutsches Museum, Member of the Board of Trustees[58]
- Transparency Germany, Member of the Board (since 2016)[59]
- Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Theodor Heuss Foundation, Member of the Executive Committee
- Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie, Member
- Weißer Ring e.V. (Support for victims and crime prevention), Member
- Sebastian Cobler Foundation for Civil Rights, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Pro Justitia Foundation (Promoting Research in the field of Law), Member of the Advisory Board
- Humanist Union Bavaria, Member
Recognition
- 1995 – Hamm-Brücher Medal
- 1996 – Paul Klinger Prize by the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft
- 1997 – Mona Lisa Woman of the Year
- 2002 – 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 2002 – Bavarian Order of Merit
- 2010 – "Kompassnadel" of the Gay Network in North Rhine-Westphalia
- 2011 – Silver Bavarian Constitutional Medal
- 2013 – Max Alsberg Prize
- 2014 – Arnold Freymuth Prize
- 2016 – Max Friedlaender Prize[60]
Personal life
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (October 2022) |
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger lives in Feldafing. She is widowed, after her husband, Ernst Schnarrenberger, died of cancer in 2006. Her father, Dr. Horst Leutheusser, was also a lawyer, and deputy mayor of Minden as member of the CDU. Her uncle, Wolfgang Stammberger, was one of her predecessors as minister of justice (from 1961 to 1962).
Publications (selection)
- "Gegenkurs. Plädoyer für eine selbstbewusste Politik der Freiheit" (96).
- Zwischen Einbürgerung und politischer Partizipation 'ausländischer Mitbürger'. Welchen Spielraum gewährt der demokratische Rechtsstaat in Deutschland? In: Büttner, Christian / Meyer, Berthold (eds.): Integration durch Partizipation. 'Ausländische Mitbürger' in demokratischen Gesellschaften. Campus Publisher 2001, pp. 31–43
- Vorratsdatenspeicherung – Ein vorprogrammierter Verfassungskonflikt. In: Zeitschrift für Rechtspolitik, 2007, p. 9 ff.
- Auf dem Weg in den autoritären Staat. In: Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik, Edition 1/2008, pp. 62–70
References
- ^ Germany’s Justice Minister Hails Three European Courts as "Shining Stars" Columbia Law School, press release of 2 December 2011.
- ^ Stefan Braun (26 November 2013), Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger kandidiert für Posten beim Europarat Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Juncker seen as possible candidate for Council of Europe post EurActiv, 19 July 2013.
- ^ Normal und praktisch Der Spiegel, 11 May 1992.
- ^ Tyler Marshall (25 November 1992), Bonn Moving to Get Tough on Violence Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Marjorie Miller (11 August 1994), German Court Chastised for Giving Extremist Slap on Wrist Los Angeles Times.
- ^ VICTORY IN EUROPE: Denmark Decides to Extradite American Neo-Nazi to Germany Los Angeles Times, 9 May 1995.
- ^ Presentation with Germany's Federal Minister of Justice, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, 3 November 2011 Archived 1 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Columbia University, New York.
- ^ https://www.tagesschau.de/aktuell/meldungen/0,1185,OID3037054_TYP1_NAVSPM2~3036854_REF1,00.html Zehn Jahre Diskussion um den Großen Lauschangriff (in German)
- ^ Oliver Samson (23 August 2006), Striking the Right Balance Between Freedom and Security Deutsche Welle.
- ^ UN probes Timor rights abuses BBC News, 15 October 1999.
- New York Times.
- Washington Post.
- ^ Jason Bush (24 June 2009), Report Slams Moscow: No Justice for Business in Russia Der Spiegel.
- ^ World Report 2009: Ukraine Human Rights Watch.
- ^ Marcel Fürstenau (3 May 2013), Liberal Free Democrats set to launch election offensive Deutsche Welle.
- ^ German FDP plumbs new lows after attack on leader Reuters, 29 May 2010.
- ^ Chris Bryant (28 September 2009), FDP leader tipped as foreign minister Financial Times.
- ^ Heribert Prantl (17 May 2010), Interview mit Jutta Limbach: "Weil sie dem Rechtsstaat Ehre macht" Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Judy Dempsey (3 January 2011), Coalition Partner Becomes Liability for Merkel Government International Herald Tribune.
- ^ Mike Szymanski (17 November 2012), Parteitag der Bayern FDP: Gerangel um den Listenplatz Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Stefan Braun (26 November 2013), Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger kandidiert für Posten beim Europarat Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Juncker seen as possible candidate for Council of Europe post EurActiv, 19 July 2013.
- ^ Thorbjørn Jagland re-elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 24 June 2014.
- ^ Jemima Kiss (11 July 2014), Google launches 'advisory council' page on right to be forgotten The Guardian.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger wird Antisemitismus-Beauftragte in NRW Westdeutscher Rundfunk, 6 November 2018.
- ^ John Goetz and Marcel Rosenbach (23 November 2009), The Death Penalty Problem: 9/11 Trial Puts German-US Relations Under Strain Der Spiegel.
- New York Times, 23 March 2011.
- ^ Abuse and counterabuse The Economist, 11 March 2010.
- New York Times.
- New York Times.
- ^ Judy Dempsey (2 March, 20100), German Court Orders Stored Telecom Data Deleted International Herald Tribune.
- New York Times.
- ^ German minister calls for punishing tax CD purchases Deutsche Welle, 1 September 2012.
- New York Times.
- ^ Matt Spetalnick and Steve Holland (7 June 2013), Obama defends surveillance effort as 'trade-off' for security Reuters.
- ^ Patrick Donahue (12 June 2013), German Justice Minister Demands U.S. Explanation on Surveillance Bloomberg.
- ^ Alan Travis, Kate Connolly and Nicholas Watt (26 June 2013), [1] The Guardian.
- ^ German justice minister demands answers about BND's role in NSA snooping Deutsche Welle, 5 August 2013.
- Washington Post.
- Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Melanie Amann, Dietmar Hipp and Peter Müller (11 June 2013), Vater and Vater: Gay Adoption Debate Flusters Conservatives Der Spiegel.
- ^ Stefan Nicola (6 June 2013), German Constitution Court Backs Equal Tax Rights for Gay Couples Bloomberg.
- New York Times.
- ^ Courtney Weaver and Charles Clover (11 July 2013), Russia convicts Magnitsky of tax evasion in posthumous trial Financial Times.
- ^ Andreas Rinke (12 August 2013), [2] Reuters.
- ^ Kristen Allen (19 August 2013), Anti-Gay Law: Shunning Sochi Hurts Olympians, Merkel Says Der Spiegel.
- Spiegel Online.
- ^ "Jeder weitere Tag in Haft könnte sein letzter sein"
- ^ David Crossland (20 December 2005), Letter from Berlin: Germany Talks Torture, and Finds Hypocrisy Der Spiegel.
- ^ Row over German airport profile bid Al Jazeera, 29 December 2010.
- ^ German Weapons for the World: How the Merkel Doctrine Is Changing Berlin Policy Der Spiegel, 3 December 2012.
- New York Times.
- New York Times.
- ^ Alex Webb (21 November 2013), Germany Can’t Extend Art Theft Statute, Minister Says Bloomberg.
- ^ Advisory Board Deutsche Postcode Lotterie.
- ^ Board of TrusteesDeutsches Museum.
- ^ Board Transparency Germany.
- ^ Max Friedlaender Prize Bavarian Bar Association.
External links
- Official website (in German)
- Biography on German Bundestag website (in German)