Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US Secretary of Health, says that more than a thousand German doctors and thousands of their patients are facing criminal charges for issuing exemptions from COVID-19 vaccinations and wearing masks during the pandemic[1][2]. He made these claims in a now-deleted post on the X platform and in an Instagram video dated January 10, 2026[1]. Kennedy accused the German government of violating the sacred relationship between doctor and patient and of criminalizing doctors for giving advice to patients[1][2]. He claims that the government makes doctors executors of state policy and limits patients' autonomy[1][2]. The German government strongly rejected the claims, and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said doctors were not punished for issuing false medical certificates and the courts were independent[1]. Kennedy sent a letter to German Health Minister Nina Warken and called for an end to the prosecution[2].