United States Department of State

Germany United States Department of State

The country faced the arrival of approximately one million migrants and asylum seekers during the year, and government and civil society responded by allocating additional resources and staff to care for, register, and integrate new arrivals. Receiving five times the 2014 number of arrivals, however, strained existing structures and policies designed to accommodate migrants and asylum seekers and exacerbated tensions within society. Right-wing extremism and xenophobia continued to be the most significant human rights problems. Perpetrators attacked ethnic non-Germans on a number of occasions, including arson attacks on government-run housing for refugees and asylum seekers. Some police committed human rights abuses against migrants and refugees in their custody. A series of anti-immigrant protests aimed particularly at Muslim refugees and migrants took place during the year, and some turned violent. Continuing manifestations of anti-Semitism, including several anti-Semitic incidents and many instances of anti-Semitic behavior, were another serious source of concern. Authorities attributed the incidents to adherents of the extreme right as well as to some Muslims. There were a number of other human rights problems. Authorities continued to prolong the incarceration of certain categories of offenders after they completed their sentences, asserting they remained a threat to society. The government limited the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and association of neo-Nazi and other groups deemed extremist or threats to the constitution. Emergency accommodations for migrants and asylum seekers became overcrowded, and authorities reduced their cash benefits and increased employment restrictions on asylum seekers from safe countries of origin. There were reports of discrimination at the federal and state levels against some religious minorities, notably Scientologists, members of Jehovah's Witnesses, and Muslims. There were also reports of gender-based violence, including against refugees and migrants, and trafficking of men, women, and children for sexual exploitation and labor. Societal violence and discrimination because of sexual orientation persisted, as did some societal discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS. There were instances of societal violence against Muslims and immigrants. The government took steps to prosecute and punish officials in the security services and elsewhere in government who committed abuses.