Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949/ Amendments 1956)

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Article 14

(1) The rights of ownership and of inheritance are guaranteed. Their content and limits are determined by the laws.
(2) Property imposes duties. Its use should also serve the common weal.
(3) Expropriation is permitted only in the public interest. It may take place only by or pursuant to a law which provides for kind and extent of the compensation. The compensation is to be determined by just consideration of the public interest and the interests of the persons affected. In case of dispute regarding the amount of compensation, recourse may be had to the ordinary courts.

Article 15

Land, natural resources, and means of production may for the purpose of socialisation be transferred into public ownership or other forms of publicly controlled economy by a law which provides for kind and extent of the compensation. In respect of such compensation Article 14, paragraph (3), sentences 3 and 4 apply accordingly.

Article 16

(1) No one may be deprived of his German nationality. Loss of nationality may arise only pursuant to a law, and, against the will of the person affected it may arise only if such person does not thereby become stateless.
(2) No German may be extradited to a foreign country. Persons persecuted for political reasons enjoy the right of asylum.

Article 17

Everyone has the right individually or jointly with others to address written requests or complaints to the competent authorities and to the representative assemblies.

Article 18

Whoever abuses freedom of expression, of opinion, in particular freedom of the press (Article 5, paragraph (1)), freedom of teaching (Article 5, paragraph (3)), freedom of assembly (Article 8), freedom of association (Article 9), the secrecy of mail, postal services and telecommunications (Article 10), the rights of ownership (Article 14), or the right of asylum (Article 16, paragraph (2)) in order to attack the free democratic basic order, forfeits these basic rights. The forfeiture and its extent shall are pronounced by the Federal Constitutional Court.

Article 19

(1) Whenever under this Basic Law a basic right may be restricted by or pursuant to a law, the law must apply generally and not solely to an individual case. Furthermore, the law must name the basic right and refer to the Article which protects it.
(2) In no case may a basic right be infringed upon in its essential content.
(3) The basic rights also apply to domestic juristic persons to the extent that their nature permits.
(4) Should any person’s right be violated by public authority, recourse to the court shall be open to him. If no other court has jurisdiction, recourse shall be to the ordinary courts.