In memory of the jurist Prof Dr Erardo Cristoforo Rautenberg (1953 -2018)

The former Attorney General of the State of Brandenburg, Prof Dr Erardo Cristoforo Rautenberg, died last night.

In conversations with him, I often heard him talk about Dr Fritz Bauer, former Attorney General of the State of Hesse, as a brother in office. How rarely, if ever, did Fritz Bauer experience this in his time. What the lawyer Erardo C. Rautenberg has in common with him is not only that they were both old-style Social Democrats, but above all their upright human behaviour. Erardo C. Rautenberg did not tolerate untruths and, often with even worse consequences, half-truths any more than his brother in office.

So it was not surprising that, despite his workload, the lawyer and democrat spent many hours of his time in recent years uncovering the half-truths that journalist and author Ronen Steinke had spread about the Hessian Attorney General. „ The Dismantling of Attorney General Dr Fritz Bauer “ was the title of a meticulously researched article and critique published by Erardo C. Rautenberg in 2014 in order to stand up to his colleague, whose life’s work he felt had been denigrated and falsified by the „distorted image“ of Bauer that was hastily published in book form. In numerous lectures and texts, E. C. Rautenberg corrected the distorted view of history that the young author had allowed himself to be carried away by with the necessary objectivity and accuracy.

In memory of Erardo C. Rautenberg, here is a reference to his lecture on Fritz Bauer and his search for justice, which took place in 2017 in the „Kohlenkeller“ at Berlin’s Mexikoplatz with numerous guests and is well worth listening to . (film recording)

„Fritz Bauer’s legacy is ultimately quite simply respect for human rights“, Erardo C. Rautenberg concluded his contribution to the defence of Attorney General Dr Bauer with these words. Now it is also his own legacy. He was characterised by his commitment to enlighten, to fight for an independent judiciary, for democracy and against right-wing extremism, and his dedication went far beyond the usual.

We owe Erardo Cristoforo Rautenberg a great deal and he will be missed. However, his efforts and upright attitude will continue to have an impact. They were and remain an incentive to stand up against nationalism and right-wing extremism and to fight for human dignity.