A German court has ruled that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) must grant national journalists access to an election night event in the state of Thuringia.
Several prominent German media outlets took legal action against the AfD in Thuringia after the AfD denied their reporters access to the election results party.
The Spiegel news magazine, the Axel Springer-owned Welt and Bild newspapers as well as the left-wing taz newspaper all argued in court that the freedom of the press was threatened by the AfD’s decision.
The verdict is not yet final and the AfD could lodge an appeal.
Voters in Thuringia will elect a new state parliament on September 1, and opinion polls have shown the AfD with a wide lead.
The AfD’s state-level leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, is well-known across Germany for his radical views and highly controversial comments, including two convictions for knowingly quoting a Nazi slogan in speeches.
The spokesman for the state AfD organization in Thuringia, Torben Braga, told dpa that they had not yet received the decision and would not comment until he could review the verdict.
