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Support for witnesses: Hamburg and SH fight against violence!
Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein promote witness assistance in the event of acts of violence. Initiative aims at more support and interrogations.
Support for witnesses: Hamburg and SH fight against violence!
The northern German states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein are sending a clear signal of support for witnesses who have witnessed serious acts of violence. How Borken newspaper reports, it will soon be possible for witnesses to be accompanied by trusted persons during interrogations by the police, the public prosecutor's office or in court. So far, this service only applies to victims of such acts.
This initiative is led by Justice Senator Anna Gallina from the Greens and Justice Minister Kerstin von der Decken from the CDU. Both politicians underline the increasing stress that can arise for witnesses and emphasize the importance of support. Gallina emphasizes that it is not just about the victims, but also about the people who are willing to testify, but whose statements can be under pressure due to a lack of support.
An application to the Federal Minister of Justice
As part of these efforts, an application is being sent to Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig from the SPD, which is intended to encourage an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure for consideration. The aim is to create the legal framework so that witnesses can receive support from employees of independent victim support organizations during their stressful testimonial processes. Headtopics emphasizes that the importance of witness statements for criminal proceedings should not be underestimated - insufficient testimony could make convictions more difficult or even prevent them.
This initiative is particularly important in view of the increase in the most serious acts of violence in public spaces in recent years. Supporting witnesses could not only reduce pressure on them, but also help make the justice system more effective and fair.
An important date is approaching
The proposed resolution will be discussed at the Justice Ministers' Conference in Leipzig on November 7th. It remains to be seen how the discussions in this committee will go and what steps will follow next. Until then, one thing is certain: the witnesses' concerns will increasingly become the focus of legal discussions and initial approaches to improving their situation are emerging.