In a shocking development, Germany’s Bundestag Parliament has passed a bill that eliminates a provision in the criminal code that previously classified possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) as a felony crime.

• The bill, which passed on Thursday, ensures that minimum sentences for those found in possession of CSAM will be reduced while reclassifying the offense as a misdemeanor.

• In accordance with the bill’s provisions, possession and acquisition of CSAM will now carry a minimum penalty of three months and distribution of a minimum of six months’ imprisonment.

• The amendment effectively classifies offenses previously governed under Section 184b of the criminal code as misdemeanors instead of felony crimes. Possession of CSAM was first classified as a crime in 2021 when Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) introduced a minimum sentence of one year for the offense.

The conversation: Despite the bill’s support from all corners of the Bundestag, many in Germany have come out to denounce it and its potential consequences for German society.

• Rainer Becker, chairman of “German Children’s Aid,” raised concerns that Germany may potentially breach a directive from the European Union, which deems any pornographic media featuring children as a criminal offense.

• A statement of opposition released by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) stated, “The distribution, possession, and acquisition of child pornography must, in principle, remain classified as crimes.”

Further support: According to Reduxx, some pedophile advocacy groups in Germany have applauded the decision, calling it a “real chance for justice” for those currently facing CSAM charges.

• Krumme-13, a “self-help” group for so-called “pedosexuals.” praised the new bill, and asked their readers to begin soliciting defense lawyers in an attempt to have their cases appealed.

• Dieter Gieseking, a convicted pedophile and founder of K13, said in a blog post, “No politician in all factions apologized to the thousands upon thousands of those affected who fell victim to this law in the last three years.”

• In the past, Gieseking has previously called for the lowering of the age of consent to 12-years-old, and once referred to the “taboo of pedophilia,” as a concept that must be “broken at all levels of society.” In August 2001, he was found to have a total of 216 CSAM files on electronic devices and was sentenced to 8 months in prison.

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