Self denunciation
The Selbstdenunziation describes a process in which people even accuse a misdemeanor or a felony.
Self denunciation in the witch trial
The phenomenon of self-denunciation occurred in the 17th century during the witch hunt in Europe, especially among children.
In this form of self-denunciation , children accused themselves of witchcraft and voluntarily surrendered themselves to the courts. They were forced to take the self denunciations seriously in order to avoid any doubts about the existence of witches.
A number of cases from 17th century Germany are documented in which children voluntarily accused themselves of witchcraft and were executed. Among other things, the case of 14-year-old Johan Herman, who voluntarily denounced himself as a witch in 1654 and was executed in 1655, is documented.
Self denunciation in today's media
The US magazine The New Republic operated a form of media self-denunciation when it asked "Were we wrong?" On the front page in spring 2003 with regard to the Iraq war . and said that the US was wrong about the reasons for advocating the war.
Self denunciation in the tax process
Tax evaders who report themselves have to repay the taxes including interest, but can count on impunity.
literature
- Rainer Walz: Children in witch trials. The county of Lippe 1654–1663. In: Gisela Wilbertz , Gerd Schwerhoff , Jürgen Schefflern (eds.): Witch persecution and regional history. The County of Lippe in comparison. Verlag für Regionalgeschichte, Bielefeld 1994, ISBN 3-89534-109-6 , pp. 211-231 ( Studies on Regional History 4, Contributions to the History of the City of Lemgo 4).
- Wolfgang Behringer : Child witch trials. On the role of children in the story of the witch hunt. In: Journal for Historical Research. 16, 1, 1989, ISSN 0340-0174 , pp. 31-47.