germany slander
Why may the German government decide if Jan B&#246;hmermann will be prosecuted?
<p><a href="http://www.zeit.de/kultur/film/2016-04/jan-boehmermann-strafverfolgung-bundesregierung-pruefung" rel="nofollow">According to the German <em>ZEIT ONLINE</em> article <em>Bundesregierung prüft Strafbegehren der Türkei</em></a>, Turkey requested that Germany prosecutes the German citizen <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_B%C3%B6hmermann" rel="nofollow">Jan Böhmermann</a> over a poem, and now German politicians in the <em>Bundesregierung</em> intend to decide if Böhmermann should be prosecuted.</p>

<p>I don't get it. I thought Germany has a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers" rel="nofollow">separaton of powers</a>?</p>

<p>The <em>Bundesregierung</em> is (like the police, the prosecuting authority, etc.) part of Germany’s executive.</p>

<p><a href="http://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/104a.html">StGB § 104a</a> defines under which conditions offences described in chapter 3 <em>Straftaten gegen ausländische Staaten</em> (transl. <em>Offences against foreign states</em>), which consists of <a href="http://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/102.html">§ 102</a>, <a href="http://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/103.html">§ 103</a> and <a href="http://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/104.html">§ 104</a>, can be prosecuted. </p>

<p>One of the conditions is </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>[…] und die Bundesregierung die Ermächtigung zur Strafverfolgung erteilt</p>
</blockquote>

<p>= the <em>Bundesregierung</em> must authorise the prosecution.</p>
