Germany reopens one of its biggest neo-Nazi trials
October 15, 2018
A German court in Koblenz reopened on Monday a trial against the far-right extremist organization Aktionsbüro Mittelrhein.
The trial, dubbed one of the largest against neo-Nazis in the country, had been suspended indefinitely in May 2017 after the presiding judge, Hans-Georg Göttgen, retired.
The details:
- The trial began in 2012 with 26 defendants. The 900-page indictment included charges such as membership of a banned organization, assault and property damage.
- Despite more than 317 trial dates in five years, the court was unable to arrive to a verdict.
- The court last year decided to provisionally close the case ahead of the judge's impending retirement.
- One of the reasons offered by the court for not appointing a new judge was that the likely punishment against the defendants would not be worth the enormous legal effort needed.
- Prosecutors successfully filed a complaint against the court's decision, effectively restarting the trial.
- The new trial will start from scratch since German law does not allow a judge to be appointed to a case in progress.
What is the Aktionsbüro Mittelrhein?
The neo-Nazi group is a far-right extremist organization that favors a German state based "on the model of the National Socialist regime." It called its headquarters in Ahrweiler the "Brown House," the same name used for the headquarters of the Nazi Party in Munich.
The group is believed to have targeted and assaulted leftist activists, defaced public property with Nazi symbols and attacked housing communes.
Read more: Revolution Chemnitz: Why a German neo-Nazi group was charged with terrorism
What happens next?
German prosecutors will once again have to build up a case against the remaining 17 defendants, including some who were detained during the first trial. At least 90 trial dates have been scheduled until the end of 2019.
Read more: The faces behind Germany's far-right protests
ls/rt (dpa, AFD)