Berlin, August 2, 2026 – Following an Islamist attack on the fringes of Christopher Street Day in Berlin, Berlin’s Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (CDU) has advocated for generally not applying juvenile criminal law to young adults in such contexts. “Juvenile criminal law should only be applied in these constellations exceptionally in particularly justified cases,” she told “Welt am Sonntag.”
Badenberg Questions Current Practice
The legislator assumes full legal capacity for adults. Furthermore, they can influence the composition of a parliament by exercising their right to vote. “I consider it outdated that juvenile criminal law is usually applied to adult offenders under 21, especially in cases of serious crime,” said the CDU politician. She advocates for the regular application of adult criminal law to adults.
Saxony Justice Minister Supports Reform
Saxony’s Justice Minister Constanze Geiert also called for a reversal of the previous practice in juvenile criminal law. “The current regulations often no longer do justice to the reality of serious acts of violence by young offenders,” the CDU politician told the newspaper. While the educational idea in dealing with young offenders remains correct and important, “it must not lead to necessary and consistent reactions of the rule of law being omitted or unnecessarily bureaucratically complicated.”
Adult Criminal Law for Young Adults
For adolescents, adult criminal law should generally apply in the future. Juvenile criminal law must be the exception requiring justification in these cases. Geiert rejected proposals to apply adult criminal law only to so-called threats. “From our point of view, a fundamental reform of juvenile criminal law would be more sustainable, which does not only refer to the so-called threats,” she said.
Background of the Discussion: Berlin Terror Attack
In the terror attack in Berlin on July 25, the 21-year-old attacker drove a car into several pedestrians in the Tiergarten before attacking more people – presumably with a machete. One woman died, and 31 people were injured. The Islamist was shot by police the day after when they tried to arrest him.
Attacker’s History
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the attacker was arrested at BER airport in November 2025 upon his return after unsuccessful attempts to join the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) in Syria. After a longer period of pre-trial detention, he was sentenced by a juvenile court in May to 22 months in juvenile prison – among other things, for preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. The decision on a suspension of this juvenile sentence on probation was postponed for six months.
