Information is available only upon request
After filing a criminal complaint, you have the possibility to receive information about what happens with the complaint. You will need to ask for this information, as it will not be provided automatically. If you wish to be kept informed about the progress of your case, you must expressly request this – preferably immediately when you file the criminal complaint with the police. Then you can receive:

1. A brief written confirmation of the criminal complaint
2. A notification if the public prosecutor's office has decided to discontinue the proceedings and the case will not come to trial
3. Information when and where the court hearing will take place and what the defendant is accused of
4. The outcome of the court proceedings, i.e. whether there was an acquittal or a conviction, or whether the proceedings were discontinued
5. Information whether the accused or the convicted person is in custody
6. Notification of whether convicted persons have been prohibited from contacting persons affected by the crime
7. Information if accused persons or convicted persons have escaped from custody, or if leave or a relaxation of the conditions of detention have been granted

Information at a later stage
If you did not go to the police yourself or decide later that you wish to receive such information, you can request it at any time. You do not need a lawyer for this. A letter to the public prosecutor’s office or to the court is sufficient. An example of such a letter can be found here.

Information and copies
Under certain circumstances, you can also ask to receive information or copies from the case files – such as an accident sketch which is necessary to claim compensation for damage and/or for pain and suffering. Such a request must be well justified, i.e. must explain why you need information from the case files. An example of a request can be found here.

More rights as a private accessory prosecutor
In the case of some criminal offences, for example sexual abuse or bodily harm, those affected can join the proceedings as private accessory prosecutors. This also applies to offences such as stalking or violation of court orders in cases of domestic violence. The surviving relatives of a person who has died as a result of a criminal offence are also entitled to file for private accessory prosecution.

As private accessory prosecutors they have more extensive rights; for example, they can also participate in hearings from which the public is excluded. Further information about the rights afforded by private accessory prosecution can be found here.