Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution as an Instrument for Character Assassination

DIALOGUE AS A SOLUTION

The OPC's surveillance of religious minorities has carried it beyond its mandate.

From a constitutional point of view, observation of religious communities by secret services – based on the beliefs of their adherents – is a violation of human rights. In this connection, a recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights is of great interest.

In January 1999, the European Court announced that the Greek government had settled with a Jehovah's Witness who had petitioned the Human Rights Court for relief. In Tsavachidis v. Greece, Gabriel Tsavachidis alleged that he was subject to secret surveillance by the Greek national intelligence service, solely due to his religious beliefs.