The court in Koblenz, Germany, has ruled that ZDF must issue an apology for using the phrase “Polish camps”.
“The expression ‘Polish extermination camps’ may suggest to the average viewer that it is not only a geographical location, but also a national one, implying that the camps were created and run by Poles,” said the court.
The case is open for several years. Karol Tender, former prisoner of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, brought a lawsuit against ZDF. In July 2013, ZDF broadcast information about Majdanek and Auschwitz, calling them “Polish camps”. According to the ruling of the court in Krakow, German television was obliged to publish an apology on its main website. While ZDF followed the ruling, the placement of the apology made it difficult to find and read. Thus the lawsuit was brought before a German court.
The court in Koblenz decided that Karol Tender’s personal rights were violated and ordered a clear apology to be published. ZDF may appeal against this judgment.
