German Health Minister Nina Warken has rejected accusations by US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr that doctors in Germany have faced legal action for issuing vaccine and mask exemptions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, posted a video on X on Saturday in which he says: “I’ve learned that more than a thousand German physicians, and thousands of their patients, now face prosecution and punishment for issuing exemptions from wearing masks or getting COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.”

In the post, Kennedy said he had written a letter to the German minister asking her “to restore medical autonomy” and “end politically motivated prosecutions.”

Kennedy did not provide any sources for his claims and misspelled Warken’s name as “Workin.”

Warken fires back

In a statement released on Saturday evening, Warken, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), described Kennedy’s assertions as “lacking any basis” and “factually incorrect.”

“I can happily explain this to him personally,” she said.

“At no time during the coronavirus pandemic was there any obligation for doctors to carry out vaccines against COVID-19,” Warken said.

“Anyone who did not wish to offer vaccines for medical, ethical or personal reasons were not criminally liable and did not have to fear penalties,” she added.