Following the attacks of 11 September 2001, Germany passed numerous new security laws: Air travel security checks were made more extensive, biometric data were added to identity documents, and the Law on Associations was changed. But most importantly, German security agencies received additional, and sometimes extensive, authority. Two decades after the attacks, these anti-terror laws should be scrutinized, says IFSH terrorism expert Dr. Hendrik Hegemann:
“20 years after the attacks of 11 September 2001, anti-terror legislation needs a new start. Most of the anti-terrors laws that were passed after 2001 are still in force today. These laws have not been adequately examined, yet at the same time they have, in many cases, been further cemented, differentiated or expanded. It is imperative that these regulations be examined to determine what impact they have actually had and if they are still necessary and justified. Until this fundamental stocktaking has been completed, the passing of new security laws should be put on hold. In order for this new start to be successful, the government and the security agencies must open themselves up for a wide-ranging discussion that scrutinizes previous decisions and allows for transparent debate of possible alternatives.“
Download a PDF of the press release (in German) here.
A detailed analysis can also be found in the new IFSH Policy Brief (in German): IFSH-Policy Brief „Anti-Terror-Gesetzgebung in Deutschland: Zeit für einen Neustart“