Imprisonment of a German doctor who issued false exemptions from the decision to wear masks
Archive photo
A German court has sentenced a doctor to two years and nine months in prison for illegally exempting more than 4,000 people from wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Public broadcaster SWR reported that a regional court in the southwestern town of Weinheim convicted the doctor on Monday evening for issuing certificates of exemption to people from all over Germany, most of whom she did not meet or examine.
The doctor said during the trial that wearing masks is harmful to health.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court banned the doctor from practicing the profession for three years, and ordered her to pay 28,000 euros ($29,550), which is the amount she received to issue medical certificates, and the doctor's assistant was fined 2,700 euros.
The radio reported that the doctor's lawyer intends to appeal the verdict.
Dozens of the doctor's supporters gathered outside the court to protest the German ruling and restrictions related to the pandemic.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news