EU Parliament Lifts Immunity of AfD Politician Petr Bystron Amid Ongoing Investigations
An investigation into a controversial social media post prompts the European Parliament to uphold legal actions against the German lawmaker.
The European Parliament has voted to lift the immunity of Petr Bystron, a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, enabling further investigations into allegations against him.
The decision, reached in Strasbourg, follows a request from the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office related to a social media post featuring a collage of several prominent German politicians.
In the collage, some politicians are depicted raising their right arms, which the authorities claim could create an impression of them making a Nazi salute.
Bystron is accused of having tacitly accepted this interpretation and disseminating symbols of unconstitutional organizations.
He has stated that the image had not drawn any complaints for over a year, suggesting that the investigation was timed with the upcoming European elections.
"Only with the emergence of the EU election campaign did the public prosecutor find a Nazi salute in it and staged a media-driven process against me," he commented.
This action comes after the Bundestag had previously lifted Bystron’s parliamentary immunity in 2023 while he was still a member of the German parliament.
Since his election to the European Parliament, any ongoing legal proceedings were put on hold until the EU Parliament made a decision regarding his immunity.
In addition to these allegations, Bystron faces further investigations related to corruption and money laundering.
He is under suspicion of having received funds linked to the pro-Kremlin media outlet "Voice of Europe" in exchange for promoting Russian interests during his tenure in the Bundestag.
Bystron has consistently denied the accusations, characterizing the legal actions as politically motivated.
The principle of presumption of innocence applies until a final legal judgment is reached.
The timeline for the Parliament's decision regarding the immunity relating to the bribery allegations remains unclear.
The decision, reached in Strasbourg, follows a request from the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office related to a social media post featuring a collage of several prominent German politicians.
In the collage, some politicians are depicted raising their right arms, which the authorities claim could create an impression of them making a Nazi salute.
Bystron is accused of having tacitly accepted this interpretation and disseminating symbols of unconstitutional organizations.
He has stated that the image had not drawn any complaints for over a year, suggesting that the investigation was timed with the upcoming European elections.
"Only with the emergence of the EU election campaign did the public prosecutor find a Nazi salute in it and staged a media-driven process against me," he commented.
This action comes after the Bundestag had previously lifted Bystron’s parliamentary immunity in 2023 while he was still a member of the German parliament.
Since his election to the European Parliament, any ongoing legal proceedings were put on hold until the EU Parliament made a decision regarding his immunity.
In addition to these allegations, Bystron faces further investigations related to corruption and money laundering.
He is under suspicion of having received funds linked to the pro-Kremlin media outlet "Voice of Europe" in exchange for promoting Russian interests during his tenure in the Bundestag.
Bystron has consistently denied the accusations, characterizing the legal actions as politically motivated.
The principle of presumption of innocence applies until a final legal judgment is reached.
The timeline for the Parliament's decision regarding the immunity relating to the bribery allegations remains unclear.
Translation:
Translated by AI
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
