German Authorities Stop Parents From Naming Their Child 'Wikileaks'
- 10 years ago
Parents living in Bavaria, Germany have been prohibited from officially naming their son after the whistle blowing website ‘Wikileaks.’ The registry officials decided that the name could risk the safety of the child, because of the controversy surrounding the Wikileaks website, which exposed private government information to the public.
Parents living in Bavaria, Germany have been prohibited from officially naming their son after the whistle blowing website ‘Wikileaks.’
The registry officials decided that the name could risk the safety of the child, because of the controversy surrounding the Wikileaks website, which exposes private government information to the public.
According to the father of the child, 28-year-old photographer and journalist Hajar Hamalaw, the registrar didn’t know what Wikileaks meant at first, thinking it might be the name of television show.
Hamalaw is quoted as saying: "This is not only a simple name for me, it has a big meaning. WikiLeaks has changed the world. For my family, the name is a synonym with transparent truth. My two-year-old daughter is called 'Diya,' which translates to 'Light of Truth.'"
The couple, who have been living in Germany for eight months, were forced to change the name on their son’s birth certificate.
The infant child’s name has been officially changed in the register to Dako, but the family has decided to still call him Wikileaks at home.
Other countries like New Zealand and Saudi Arabia have a list of names that are banned, but in Germany the names are considered individually case by case.
Parents living in Bavaria, Germany have been prohibited from officially naming their son after the whistle blowing website ‘Wikileaks.’
The registry officials decided that the name could risk the safety of the child, because of the controversy surrounding the Wikileaks website, which exposes private government information to the public.
According to the father of the child, 28-year-old photographer and journalist Hajar Hamalaw, the registrar didn’t know what Wikileaks meant at first, thinking it might be the name of television show.
Hamalaw is quoted as saying: "This is not only a simple name for me, it has a big meaning. WikiLeaks has changed the world. For my family, the name is a synonym with transparent truth. My two-year-old daughter is called 'Diya,' which translates to 'Light of Truth.'"
The couple, who have been living in Germany for eight months, were forced to change the name on their son’s birth certificate.
The infant child’s name has been officially changed in the register to Dako, but the family has decided to still call him Wikileaks at home.
Other countries like New Zealand and Saudi Arabia have a list of names that are banned, but in Germany the names are considered individually case by case.