German blogger Jonas Müller cleared in defamation case over Hamado Dipama tweets
Munich – Jonas Müller, operator of the public broadcasting-critical "ÖRR-Blog," has welcomed the decision to drop legal proceedings against him over his reporting on BR broadcasting council member Hamado Dipama. "We're naturally relieved that we won't have to go to court," the prominent critic of Germany's public broadcasters told Junge Freiheit.
The Bamberg public prosecutor's office informed Müller on Tuesday that the investigation into allegations of defamation had been discontinued. "It would have been quite harsh to face legal consequences over tweets that were actually true—we're glad our legal system ultimately worked as it should," Müller emphasized.
Müller: The tweets in question were all factual
In mid-March, Müller received an official letter notifying him of accusations regarding "allegedly racist comments." He then sought legal counsel from the law firm Hoecker. Together, they provided the prosecutor's office with a detailed explanation of why the contested social media statements were not only inoffensive but, in fact, accurate.
The case centered on two posts on X (formerly Twitter). The ÖRR-Blog had first pointed out that Dipama had engaged with a July 2023 Instagram post by the educational platform Afrokratie, which initially referred to white people as "Neanderthals" before the term was later replaced with "colonial criminals." This revision created the false impression that Müller had fabricated the claim.
BR council member invited back to the country he fled
The second post questioned whether Dipama, now 52, could credibly maintain refugee status from Burkina Faso if, in 2025, he returned to his home country—at the government's invitation—to inaugurate the mausoleum of former military dictator Thomas Sankara.
Dipama, a professional anti-discrimination advisor, fled Munich in 2002 as an opponent of then-ruler Blaise Compaoré. Since 2022, he has drawn attention for praising Burkina Faso's current leader, Ibrahim Traoré—who, like Sankara, espouses socialist ideals.
"This kind of thing takes an emotional toll"
In his interview with JF, Müller described how personally distressing the investigation had been. "It weighs on you emotionally—you start doubting your own work to some extent," he admitted. While an emergency fundraising campaign raised €15,000 to cover legal fees, he noted: "Imagine if the ÖRR-Blog weren't as established, with a smaller reach and no reserves—then the intimidation factor would have been massive."
Müller criticized the imbalance in legal burdens: while defendants often face steep legal costs to fight baseless defamation claims, the justice system covers expenses for the accuser—even when allegations are clearly unfounded. However, he dismissed the idea that the case was a targeted attack on his media criticism. "I don't believe that," he told JF, adding: "I get the sense that Mr. Dipama is using these complaints to act out personal grievances." Dipama has also accused Cicero magazine and the news site Apollo of defamation. (fw)
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