Germany to criminalise "disposable agents" amid sabotage investigations

Germany’s Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig is pushing for an amendment to the country’s Criminal Code aimed at so-called “disposable agents,” amid investigations into suspected foreign-orchestrated sabotage.

Under the proposed legislation, anyone who “deliberately commits an unlawful act on behalf of a foreign power” could face up to five years in prison or a fine, Caliber.Az reports via German media.

Those who commission such acts would be equally liable. The measure was approved in draft form this week by the Bundestag’s Legal Affairs Committee.

Hubig said the move demonstrates Germany’s determination to counter “authoritarian forces and their accomplices.”

The new offence comes amid probes into a series of car vandalism incidents across four federal states during the Bundestag election campaign.

In these attacks, perpetrators blocked exhaust pipes with hardening foam and left stickers depicting then-Economy Minister Robert Habeck alongside the slogan “BE GREENER!”. German authorities suspect the attacks may have been commissioned by Russia.

The government said the amendment is intended to strengthen penalties for espionage-related activity and prevent foreign powers from using operatives to carry out sabotage on German soil.

By Aghakazim Guliyev