Herbert Mertin: Sudden death of the popular Minister of Justice in Koblenz

Herbert Mertin: Sudden death of the popular Minister of Justice in Koblenz

Herbert Mertin, the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Justice and FDP politician, died on February 21, 2025 at the age of 66. His death suddenly and unexpectedly occurred during a ceremony for volunteer judges in Koblenz, where he collapsed and later died in the hospital. This sad news was sent by a spokesman for the FDP state association. Mertin leaves his wife and four adult sons.

Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer (SPD) praised Mertin as a “fixed pillar of our democracy” and emphasized his commitment to freedom, justice and the rule of law. Economic Minister Daniela Schmitt (FDP) emphasized in her speech that Mertin was considered an outstanding representative of democratic values. Federal Transport and Justice Minister Volker Wissing expressed his dismay about the loss and described Mertin as a model and reliable guide.

a remarkable career

Herbert Mertin was born in Temuco, Chile in 1958 and moved to Germany with his family in 1971, where they settled in Rhineland-Palatinate. He completed his Abitur in Linz on the Rhine and studied law in Mainz and Bonn. Mertin joined the FDP in 1983 and was elected Member of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament in 1996.

After the resignation of Peter Caesar (FDP) due to health problems, Mertin took up his first position as Minister of Justice in 1999. During his tenure, he was a passionate advocate of civil rights and the independence of the judiciary. This led him several times into conflicts, not least with the then Prime Minister Kurt Beck (SPD), which contributed to his later role as a secret opposition leader in the state parliament after the FDP 2011 left parliament.

return and legacy

After several years as a lawyer in Koblenz, Mertin returned to the government in 2016 when the traffic light coalition under Malu Dreyer (SPD) was formed. His return was not only a personal success, but also an important revival of the commitment of the FDP in the Rhineland-Palatinate state policy. Especially during the Corona pandemic, he campaigned for the quick withdrawal of fundamental rights interventions.

In the 2021 state election, the traffic light coalition was confirmed, in which Mertin continued to work as Minister of Justice. His fateful death is a great loss to Rhineland-Palatinate politics, and the FDP faction in the state parliament was shaken by his sudden loss, regret that his advice and sensitivity were missing. Mertin's political work remains inseparable with the values ​​of freedom, the rule of law and social justice.