German court tells broadcaster ZDF to apologise for 'Polish death camp' phrase

The ruling is the first of its kind made in Germany, according to Polish Radio’s IAR news agency.

The decision was announced by a senior court in Koblenz, central Germany.

A court in Kraków, southern Poland, had earlier ruled that an apology previously published on the German broadcaster's website did not meet a requirement that the message be visible on ZDF's homepage for 30 days.

Auschwitz survivor Karol Tendera launched legal action over the promotion of a ZDF documentary about the liberation of Majdanek and Auschwitz, WWII German Nazi death camps located in occupied Poland.

In promotional material on the zdf.de website, the expression “Polish death camps” was used. The description was changed after Polish authorities protested.

In April 2016, a Kraków district court found that ZDF had damaged Tendera's dignity and national identity by referring to WWII German Nazi concentration camps Majdanek and Auschwitz as “Polish death camps”.

The use of the term "Polish concentration camp” by international media outlets has sparked numerous complaints from Poland in recent years, prompting some news agencies to change their style guidelines.

In 2007, following a Polish request, the World Heritage Committee attempted to clarify the matter by listing the Auschwitz camp as a "German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp".

(pk)

Source: PAP