euro|topics - Christian Rath

01/12/2008

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Rath, Christian

2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

die tageszeitung - Germany | 01/12/2008

Christian Rath on the EU resolution on Holocaust denial

The EU has ruled that denial of the Holocaust and other genocides is to be a punishable offence across Europe. Writing for the left-wing daily die tageszeing Christian Rath argues that this sends the wrong message: "In Germany denial of the Holocaust has been punishable for years. The idea was to protect the dignity of the victims and also public order. In view of Germany's historical guilt this is understandable. But won't our responsibility towards the descendants of the Holocaust victims be relativised if, from the point of view of criminal law, political crimes like the massacre of Srebrenica are given the same treatment as the Holocaust? What was previously considered playing down the Holocaust is now to become law. ... But the EU resolution is also fundamentally flawed, for it encourages the popular idea that the state should simply ban everything that is a source of public disapproval. This, however, is not the purpose of the European Charter of Human Rights, which aims to guarantee free communication as far as possible. ... The revision of the past thrives on discussion - including unpopular discussions. ... Those who advocate the application of penal law here are not projecting strength but rather a lack of democratic self-confidence."

die tageszeitung - Germany | 18/08/2008

A legal secession?

At the request of the Serbian government, the UN General Assembly is to request the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of the secession of Kosovo. die tageszeitung newspaper sees hidden political manoeuvring behind the initiative: "The Russians, for example, have always supported Serbia and warned the Kosovo Albanians from a putatively illegal secession. ... Meanwhile the 'territorial integrity of states' is in everyone's mind, at least concerning Georgia. These inconsistencies could lead to there being no majority in the UN General Assembly in favour of an ICJ opinion. Perhaps the Serbian government is even speculating that this will be the case. For Serbia, the key thing is not to give up Serbia's claim to Kosovo without a fight - while avoiding annoying its new partners in the West. ... Certainly it would be better if the UN court was able to present the criteria for a legitimate secession. Although such an opinion would not be binding, it could also not be ignored."

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