On July 6, the program “Imedi’s Week,” aired on Imedi TV, featured journalist Shorena Khvichia discussing German journalist David Bendels. According to Khvichia, Bendels was arrested for digitally altering a photo of the German Minister of Internal Affairs. The edited image showed the minister holding a banner that read, “I hate freedom of speech.” Khvichia brought up Bendels’ case after reporting on German Ambassador Peter Fischer’s attendance at the trial of Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli.
Shorena Khvichia (7:04): “Journalist David Bendels was sentenced to seven months in prison solely for sharing a banner featuring an edited photo of Germany’s interior minister, appearing to hold a sign that read, ‘I hate freedom of speech’.”
The information circulated about the German journalist is partially false. A case was indeed initiated against him on defamation charges, as he edited and disseminated a photo of the Foreign Minister, in which the minister was shown holding a banner with an altered inscription. The court found the journalist guilty and sentenced him to a seven-month suspended sentence, meaning he will not serve time in prison.
Journalist David Bendels is the editor-in-chief of Deutschland Kurier, a media outlet affiliated with Germany’s far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD). On the media outlet’s website, Bendels is still listed as editor-in-chief. At the end of February, Deutschland Kurier’s account on the social network X published a photo of Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, in which she is shown holding a banner that reads, “I hate freedom of speech.” The image was edited, and the caption was altered by the author. In the original photo, the minister holds a banner reading “We remember,” referring to the commemoration of victims of antisemitism and National Socialism.
According to information published on the website of the German Bundestag, proceedings were initiated against the editor of Deutschland Kurier under Article 188 of the Criminal Code, which refers to defamation. The verdict in David Bendels’ case became known in April. The German media outlet Spiegel reported that in November, the journalist was fined in connection with the same case, but Bendels refused to pay. His refusal led to court proceedings, and ultimately, Bendels was sentenced to a seven-month suspended sentence, which means probationary supervision rather than imprisonment. Bendels was also ordered to pay a fine of 1,500 euros and to write a letter of apology to the minister. According to the court, the media outlet deliberately edited a photo to create the impression that the minister had made a statement about freedom of speech. Additionally, it was difficult for an impartial reader to detect the traces of photo manipulation.
The article under which the German journalist was convicted carries a prison sentence ranging from six months to five years. TV company Imedi references this case following the mention of journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli’s case. Unlike the German journalist, Amaghlobeli has been placed in pretrial detention for slapping a police officer. She has already been in prison for six months, and if convicted, she faces a sentence of four to seven years.
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