A German politician, Herbert Mertin, the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Justice (FDP), has unexpectedly died on Friday, according to the deputy FDP state chair, Carina Konrad, who announced the news in the afternoon.
Mertin, 66, collapsed in the morning during a ceremony in honor of honorary judges in Koblenz and was declared dead at the hospital.
Prior to his death, Mertin held the office of Justice Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2016. Between 2006 and 2011, he was the leader of the FDP state parliamentary group. He was married and had four sons.
“Herbert Mertin was a role model and an unyielding fighter for the rule of law and freedom” Konrad said. “His efforts for democracy and justice will remain, his voice will be missed.