Bundestag raises the immunity of AfD and left-wing MPs!

Bundestag raises the immunity of AfD and left-wing MPs!

Berlin, Deutschland - On June 5, 2025, the Bundestag unanimously accepted two recommendations for decision of the committee for the election test, immunity and rules of procedure. This decision concerns the approval of criminal proceedings against two MPs: Prof. Dr. Ingo Hahn from the AfD and Gökay Akbulut from Die Linke. In contrast, the majority of the parliament decided against the implementation of a criminal proceedings against Dr. Robert Habeck from Bündnis 90/The Greens. A corresponding recommendation of the immunity committee was number 21/389.

Immunity law in Germany is a central aspect that protects the functionality of parliament. As the Zeit , the Bundestag and the state parliament must approved criminal investigations against MPs. This protection system ensures that MPs are not legally pursued, which could affect the admission of their work in parliament. Immunity applies until it is left out of parliament, as specified in Article 46 of the Basic Law.

functionality of immunity law

immunity protects MPs from legal law enforcement, unless it is direct crimes. This protection is not considered an individual privilege, but serves the goal of ensuring the functionality of the parliament. When the immunity is canceled, the procedure must be observed in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Bundestag, whereby the 1st Committee of the Bundestag is responsible for the development of the principles.

In addition, members of the Bundestag benefit from the fact that they protect against legal sanctions due to their parliamentary activity. This regulation refers to both the Bundestag and Member of the Landtag, while head of state also enjoys immunity. Members of the Federal Government are only immune due to their deputy status.

Current developments and previous cases

The abolition of immunity has been discussed several times in the past and also carried out, as the case of the AfD politician Björn Höcke shows. In this latest decision, no precise allegations were mentioned, which underlines the decision -making process that aims not to endanger the functionality of parliament. The rejection of the immunity cancellation for Dr. Robert Habeck could be due to strong political support within his own faction and the perception of his role as a minister.

Reforms of immunity law are regularly up for debate, but politics always emphasizes the importance of protecting the functionality of parliament as the primary goal of these legal regulations.