Live data from Hacker News

Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

ccc.de

1–10 of 136 posts

Re: Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

#3
post #2

Not an expert in German legislation, but is this even legal? Seems like those people weren't convicted nor even suspected of crimes. I hope the victims fight back and get adequate compensation.

Of course it is.

Raids can also be at witnesses' places if it is necessary to get the evidence.

Otherwise I'd simply stow the bodies in my friends' cellars.

Re: Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

#4
The gist of it:

Someone did something probably illegal and put a @riseup mail in as the contact info. Police looked at riseup (Not-in-Germany) and found some people (In-Germany) forwarding donation money to riseup. Police and state prosecutor somehow conclude that these donations might be relevant and seizes them (and the usual bycatch).

--

Now my commentary: On the face of it this seems overblown and rather out of proportion. To me it looks like some AG was looking for an excuse to raid these left-wing organizations. It doesn't have to be that way, but I have a hard time imagining how some leftist hateblog I've never heard of before justifies such a large scale raid of (presumably) at best tangentially related entities. It's a somewhat different story of course if it turns out that the backers of the blog have actually been raided as well as part of these raids.

Re: Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

#7
post #3
post #2

Not an expert in German legislation, but is this even legal? Seems like those people weren't convicted nor even suspected of crimes. I hope the victims fight back and get adequate compensation.

Of course it is. Raids can also be at witnesses' places if it is necessary to get the evidence. Otherwise I'd simply stow the bodies in my friends' cellars.

But for raids there needs to be reason. I think something like the second Iraq war cannot happen inside a legal system without repercussion, at least as long as the legal system still functions.

Re: Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

#8

The gist of it: Someone did something probably illegal and put a @riseup mail in as the contact info. Police looked at riseup (Not-in-Germany) and found some people (In-Germany) forwarding donation money to riseup. Police and state prosecutor somehow conclude that these donations might be relevant and seizes them (and the usual bycatch). -- Now my commentary: On the face of it this seems overblown and rather out of p…

I'm sure, as the article says, if they search every @gmail user because of one @gmail criminal they will eventually search the criminal too. How is that a different story?

Re: Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

#9
post #7
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it is. Raids can also be at witnesses' places if it is necessary to get the evidence. Otherwise I'd simply stow the bodies in my friends' cellars.

But for raids there needs to be reason. I think something like the second Iraq war cannot happen inside a legal system without repercussion, at least as long as the legal system still functions.

Sure, but none of us have any information how this came to pass.

So I limited my reply to the general question asked.

Re: Police search homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab in Augsburg

#10
post #3
post #2

Not an expert in German legislation, but is this even legal? Seems like those people weren't convicted nor even suspected of crimes. I hope the victims fight back and get adequate compensation.

Of course it is. Raids can also be at witnesses' places if it is necessary to get the evidence. Otherwise I'd simply stow the bodies in my friends' cellars.

Help me understand as I am not living in Germany:

Authorities can search and seize property of any civilian without a warrant if said civilian is just a witness? If yes, then who decides and how is it decided that someone is a witness?

If for example I happen to stand in front of my window and witness a crime being committed in the street, they could search my house without any consent or warrant?

Post reply on HN