How freely does it speak or write about a topic when there is concern in the background that an unintentionally not completely clear formulation could possibly give rise to a legal dispute?
In the case of the dispute over the Hohenzollern's compensation claims, this is a question that concerns not only journalists, but increasingly also science.
The Hohenzollern, descendants of the last German emperor, are negotiating with the federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, as well as museums and foundations in these states, for an out-of-court settlement involving compensation and restitution claims by the family.
Since these negotiations became known and publicly questioned, there has been a risk associated with statements on the subject: at least five historians have already received mail from the Hohenzollern lawyer.
One of those who hit it was the Düsseldorf scientist Eva Schlotheuber.
In an interview, she explains why she sees the Hohenzollern approach as an attack on science.
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