Germany Considers Reform to Publishing Nationalities of Criminals Amid Spike in Migrant Crime

Germany’s liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), the smallest party in the governing coalition, is proposing that law enforcement authorities should be obliged to disclose the nationality of suspected criminals throughout the country.

The initiative has been endorsed by the opposition CDU/CSU, while the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), although supportive of it in theory, believes it does not go far enough.

According to the FDP, the initiative aims to ensure “transparency and credibility,” adding that in the wake of the 2015/2016 refugee crisis and the subsequent rise in foreign crime in Germany, there have been various questions regarding how to achieve this. For example, at which stage of the investigation should the nationality of suspects be formally declared, which cases may demand greater transparency, and what should be done when there is a greater risk that disclosure of the suspect’s citizenship will lead to general prejudice?

According to Die Welt newspaper, the FDP and the parliamentary group of the conservative CDU/CSU coalition are calling for a uniform approach by law enforcement authorities nationwide, including mandatory disclosure.

In an interview with the newspaper, FDP Secretary-General Bijan Djir-Sarai argued that this would increase public confidence in law enforcement agencies. According to him, people should have confidence that politicians “take the problem of foreign crime seriously.”

While the left-wing SPD, the largest party in the three-party governing coalition, has not yet taken a position on the initiative, the Green Party has rejected it, saying it would deprive authorities of the discretion they need to do their job successfully.

The AfD, which has been the most vocal in the fight against illegal immigration, has, on the other hand, “slammed” the FDP’s proposal, to the extent that the party believes that it is not enough to disclose nationality, but that the migration background of suspects, convicts and detainees should also be made public.