German court rejects press claim for BND information on China virus origin and Russian attack risk
The Bundesverwaltungsgericht in Leipzig dismissed two press-freedom claims by a newspaper editor who wanted the BND to disclose its public communications on the suspected origin of the coronavirus in China and on the likelihood of a Russian military attack on NATO states. The court ruled that protecting Germany's foreign relations and the functioning of intelligence services outweighed the claims.
What does it mean?
A newspaper editor asked Germany's foreign intelligence service to answer questions about how it communicates publicly on two sensitive topics. The court said the service does not have to answer, because answering could harm Germany's international position and reveal how the service works.
Who is affected?
Journalists and others who request information from German intelligence services about their public communications.
What changes?
The source does not describe any change to existing rules. It reports only the court's new decision in these two cases.