The German Federal Ministry of the Interior, led by Alexander Dobrindt, has chosen not to comment on the ongoing process of banning the magazine Compact. A spokesperson for the ministry stated that as a matter of principle, they do not make statements on ongoing procedures. However, the ministry’s stance on the matter appears to be that the process will not be reversed, as the spokesperson confirmed that the procedure is still ongoing.
The verbal hearing in the case took place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, with a verdict expected on June 24. At the heart of the dispute is the question of whether the ministry’s decision to ban the magazine, citing the Association Act, was lawful. The former interior minister, Nancy Faeser, had issued the ban in July 2024, citing the magazine as a “mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene.” The court had partially suspended the immediate enforcement of the ban in August 2024, allowing the magazine to publish provisionally since then.
If the court rules in favor of the ban, the magazine’s defenders have already announced their intention to take the case to the Federal Constitutional Court and, if necessary, the European Court of Human Rights.