Unpleasant ordeal through Yellowhair's Ombudsman process
Berlin (dpa) - Stefan Gelbhaar, former Green Party Bundestag member, is pleased with the report from an internal commission on the party's handling of allegations against him. He lamented, "Slanderous tales were woven, legal principles were neglected, breaches of confidentiality were rampant, I didn't receive the reports, and a chance to respond was nonexistent," as he spoke to the German Press Agency upon request.
He added, "Lack of clear regulations and structures turned the ombuds procedure into a legal nightmare that barely adhered to due process principles." Gelbhaar emphasized that the report would be meticulously evaluated, with an eye towards future actions.
The Greens earlier made the report's summary by their commission public. The verdict for the Greens is disheartening, showing the party was insufficiently discerning when addressing allegations against Gelbhaar, according to the report. Moreover, the political motivation behind the harassment allegations against him wasn't even considered. The party board accepted its mistakes in their response but also defended the performance of their federal business office.
The authors of the report are Anne Lütkes, former Minister of Justice of Schleswig-Holstein, and Jerzy Montag, long-time Bundestag member and a member of the Bavarian Constitutional Court.
The German Green Party has publicly acknowledged errors in their handling of sexual harassment allegations against former Bundestag member Stefan Gelbhaar. Initial reports emerged in late 2024 and early 2025. The party's internal discussion and external scrutiny led to a state of confusion and calls for transparency and accountability within the Greens. However, the identity of the external reviewers and a detailed, granular, step-by-step report are not disclosed in publicly available sources. The report indicates at least one allegation was false, while Gelbhaar maintains his innocence, characterizing the situation as defamation.
The German Green Party's handling of sexual harassment allegations against Stefan Gelbhaar, a former Bundestag member, has been under scrutiny in the realm of policy-and-legislation and general-news. The internal report, authored by Anne Lütkes and Jerzy Montag, revealed the party's insufficient discernment and neglected due process principles, making politics a sensitive issue. Gelbhaar is planning to meticulously evaluate the report, hoping to implement changes for future actions.
