(de-news.net) – The German Association of Judges has called for enhanced protection of public prosecutors and advocated for increased institutional independence in light of potential political encroachments.

Given the contemporary European climate, in which right-wing populist parties have repeatedly tested the boundaries of judicial authority, Federal General-Secretary Sven Rebehn argued that structural vulnerabilities facilitating the abuse of prosecutorial power are untenable. He emphasized that granting political actors discretionary authority over prosecutorial proceedings would prove disastrous if wielded by inappropriate hands.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, prosecutorial offices are, under specific legal provisions, subject to directives issued by the Ministries of the Interior at either, or both, federal and state levels. The German Association of Judges now proposes a reform modeled on the Austrian approach, suggesting that jurisdictional oversight of prosecutorial bodies be entrusted to legal professionals rather than political functionaries.