Germany’s lower house of Parliament this week passed a wide-ranging crime bill that includes provisions making it easier to prosecute those who profess that the Holocaust never took place.
The bill passed by the Bundestag also includes a provision increasing the maximum sentence to five years’ imprisonment for such an offense, known here as the “Auschwitz Lie.”
An initial proposal called for a three-year prison term, but politicians from the opposition Social Democratic Party pushed for the tougher sentence, which has widespread public support.
The bill’s passage took place after German lawmakers crafted a compromise Monday in a conference committee. The upper house of Parliament is expected to approve the bill.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
