The German government has strongly rejected claims by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that doctors in Germany face criminal prosecution for issuing exemptions from COVID-19 vaccinations or wearing masks during the pandemic.[1][2] In a video on Platform X, Kennedy stated that more than a thousand German doctors and thousands of their patients face punishment for these exemptions, and wrote a letter to the German Minister of Health with the erroneous name "Workin" instead of Warken.[1][2] He accused the German government of limiting patient autonomy and violating the patient-doctor relationship.[1][2] Minister Warken replied that doctors were under no obligation to administer vaccines against COVID-19 for medical, ethical or personal reasons, and were not subject to sanctions.[1][2] Prosecutions were limited to cases of fraud and falsification of documents, such as issuing false vaccination certificates or masks.[1][2] German Health Minister Lauterbach emphasized that courts in Germany are independent and doctors are not punished by the government for issuing false medical certificates.[1][2]