SPD pushes cabinet approval of law banning photos of clothed buttocks and breasts

The federal cabinet gave the green light to a softened version of Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig’s draft that makes photographing clothed buttocks, genitals or female breasts a punishable act, with imprisonment of up to two years. The revised text, approved by the black-red coalition, specifies that the offence requires a deliberate, sexualised portrayal of the covered body parts. Earlier wording that merely required a “sexually determined” image had drawn criticism from legal experts for being overly broad.

The German Bar Association cautioned that suspects could face invasive scrutiny of personal data to establish intent. The law traces its roots to a petition launched by Cologne resident Yanni Gentsch after she discovered a man filming her buttocks while she jogged. The petition was later handed to North Rhine-Westphalia Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach, prompting one outlet legislative push.