德国法上名誉侵权的举证规则

Rules of Evidence Concerning Defamation in Germanic Law

在德国法上,关于名誉侵权存在着一套饶有特色的举证规则,即:原则上,原告对陈述虚假负有证明责任;如果涉及的是一项损害名誉的陈述,则适用举证责任倒置,即被告须证明其陈述的真实性;如果涉及一项侵害名誉的陈述,但是被告证明其加以公布是代表正当利益,则举证责任仍归于原告。通过"代表正当利益"抗辩,信息发布人尤其是媒体摆脱了沉重的举证负担,从而在报道公众关注事项上获得了更大空间。

In Germanic law, there exist a set of unique rules of evidence. In principle the plaintiff has the burden of evidence and should prove the defendant＇s statement to be false; if the defendant＇s statement is defamatory, the defendant has the burden of evidence; but if the defendant can prove that his behavior is on behalf of ＂due interest＂, the plaintiff still has the burden of evidence. Through the ＂due interest＂ defense, the media get rid of heavy burden of evidence and therefore acquire more room for reporting matters of public concern.