Overview
- Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig publicly called for raising the typical five‑year statute of limitations for rape to 20 years and for adopting a 'Only Yes Is Yes' consent standard ahead of the Justice Ministers' Conference in Hamburg.
- The Justice Ministers' Conference on Thursday brought multiple state proposals that ask Hubig to table a federal bill, giving political weight to reform even though conference resolutions are not legally binding.
- Support is growing across parties with at least one senior CDU state minister signaling backing for a longer limitation period while other conservatives and some legal experts warn the consent change could create proof problems in court.
- High‑profile cases such as Claudia Wuttke's, in which dozens of complaints were previously closed as time‑barred, have driven the push and prompted the Hamburg Generalstaatsanwaltschaft to reopen a review of earlier decisions.
- If advanced to law, the changes could let victims report older crimes for prosecution but also prompt constitutional and evidentiary challenges that may shape how courts assess consent and burden of proof.