Summary of a court ruling. This article summarizes the judgment VG Berlin — 42 K 25/25, issued by the Berlin Administrative Court, based on the publication by GDPRhub.

The Berlin Administrative Court ruled that a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation must hand over to the plaintiffs a copy of an introductory letter containing personal data sent to the congregation to which they had transferred. The judgment, issued on June 17, 2026, also annulled the decision of the organization's data protection authority, and it allows for appeal, so it is not presented as final.

The plaintiffs had changed congregations in July 2023. The originating congregation sent the new unit a letter with information about the two members' participation in religious activities but did not provide a copy of the document when requested. The Jehovah's Witnesses' data protection authority rejected the complaint in May 2024, arguing that full disclosure could compromise the confidentiality required for pastoral activities.

According to the court, Article 91(1) of the GDPR gives precedence to the internal rules of religious associations or communities only when they are compatible with the European regulation. The court held that the right of access set out in Articles 15(1) and 15(3) includes providing the requested copy, because a summarized list of the data would not allow the lawfulness of the processing to be adequately verified. In the panel's assessment, the entire letter contained the plaintiffs' personal data and should be made available.

In practical terms, the decision sets aside the religious confidentiality justification used to deny the copy and recognizes that a community's internal rules cannot restrict the right of access in conflict with the GDPR. The obligation imposed falls on the congregation responsible for the processing and involves handing over the full letter regarding the plaintiffs' transfer. The judgment also established that the defendant entity must bear the costs of the proceedings, while the possibility of appeal remains open.

With information from GDPRhub — New pages.

This post was summarized from the original publication using artificial intelligence, with human review.