Journalist Daniel Harrich uncovers secret German armaments deals at ARD themed evening in the feature film "Master of Death 2" and the subsequent documentation.
You have to imagine that: German arms dealers sell war weapons to Mexico illegally and with the help of the highest control officers in the Federal Republic of Germany. In a country where 35,000 people died in the drug war last year alone. "It doesn't work! I mean, where do we get there? "
Daniel Harrich is not a person who easily blows up. He knows that if you want to be heard, you don't have to shout the loudest. But have the best arguments. He always has it ready, who always researches so precisely. But if you ask him about the arms deals that go hand in hand in our country, even Harrich raises his voice for a moment. Then to smile again and be happy. Because his team and he are in the future to prevent such crooked business. The ARD feature film "Master of Death 2" tells about it tonight from 8.15 p.m., followed by the documentary "Deadly Exports - Arms Manager in Court".
Daniel Harrich (left with actor Kristyan Ferrer) did a lot of research for both films.
© Photo: SWR
The Munich-based investigative journalist has made a name for himself with revealing films such as "The Blind Spot" about the 1980 Oktoberfest attack or "Gift" about cheaply produced, adulterated medicines. One of his biggest coups so far (the man who publishes a book and a film after another is only 36!) Was the ARD themed evening "Master of Death" (2015). In a feature film and subsequent documentation, Harrich revealed how assault rifles from Baden-Württemberg got into Mexican crisis areas without the manufacturer Heckler & Koch having an export license. Shortly after the broadcast, the public prosecutor's office in Stuttgart brought charges against the responsible managers.
Too bizarre to be true?
The crude trial that followed is the content of Daniel Harrich's new work. And when you first look at the feature film with Veronica Ferres, Heiner Lauterbach, Udo Wachtveitl, Axel Milberg and many other stars today, you think that the imagination really has to go through with the director. A judge who commented on the disappearance of vital evidence that would affect ministerial officials with sentences such as "I don't know where these files went". Or an employee of the Federal Ministry of Economics, who dismisses the accusation that he did not control the fictitious armaments company HSW (inspired by Heckler & Koch and others) strictly enough, with the note that it was finally called "Federal Ministry of Economics", so one had to take care that one should not be harmed by the companies of this country. So please, Mr. Harrich, it wouldn't have been like that?
Klüngel im Ländle
Unfortunately yes. "These are all word quotes, as close to reality as the lawyers allow," emphasizes the director, who has observed the entire process. "The potentially punishable offenses were simply to be swept under the carpet." He did not want to extend his criticism to the entire German criminal law area, there are many great judges and prosecutors, stresses Harrich. "But in the area of white collar crime there in Stuttgart, in my opinion that's really Klüngel im Ländle. That's hard."
Films that change the world
So what to do? "You can enlighten, that's the very first thing. You have to deal with changes that have grown over decades. ”Isn't it depressing to see that and see how it went on for years? "No, it is constructive because we realize that each of our themed evenings makes a difference. That is the nice thing. In the end, we turned the entire German war arms export control system upside down. ”In fact, until 2013, when Harrich and his team started researching, there was never a public question of how exactly it was checked whether German war weapon exporters adhered to it, to deliver only to the approved areas. Now the Federal Court of Justice has to deal with the question. "The Americans are the largest arms exporters in the world: if they can control where they are, we can do it," says Harrich.
"We take advantage of the freedom of the press"
Incidentally, he never feared possible consequences of his research in the international arms trade. “In Germany we can work freely. We have a free press. I don't want to know what it is like in other countries where you risk life and limb. As long as we can do it here, we have to do it. It is our duty. "
