Court rules right-wing terrorist Beate Zschäpe must stay in prison until 2035

The Oberlandesgericht München has ruled that convicted right-wing terrorist Beate Zschäpe must remain in prison until at least 2035. The court set a minimum period of incarceration at 24 years and rejected her application for parole. This decision ensures that one of the primary figures of a decade-long terror campaign remains behind bars.

Rejection of early release

Zschäpe has been in custody since November 2011. In 2018, the OLG sentenced her to life imprisonment as an accomplice in the murder series carried out by the "Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund" (NSU). According to nd and taz, the court also established the "besondere Schwere der Schuld" (particular severity of guilt), which made early release after the standard 15-year minimum almost impossible.

Zschäpe and her lawyer, Mathias Grasel, argued for a release, with Grasel requesting a total sentence of no more than 20 years. Tagesschau reports that the defence argued Zschäpe had moved away from her right-wing extremist views, citing her participation in a non-state neo-Nazi exit programme and testimony given before the NSU inquiry committee of the Bavarian State Parliament.

However, the Oberlandesgericht decided that circumstances arising during her imprisonment were not of such weight that they could offset her "außergewöhnlich hohe Tatschuld" (exceptionally high culpability). In our assessment, this ruling underscores the scale of the atrocities committed by the cell, regardless of the defendant's claims of deradicalisation.

The NSU terror cell

The "Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund" (NSU) was a terror cell consisting of Zschäpe, Uwe Mundlos, and Uwe Böhnhardt. From 2000 onwards, the group carried out ten murders across Germany, including five in Bavaria. Their victims were nine business owners of Turkish and Greek origin and one German police officer. Mundlos and Böhnhardt also carried out two bomb attacks in Cologne that left dozens injured.

The group remained undetected for nearly 14 years. Tagesschau reports this was due in part to one-sided investigations and numerous errors by security authorities. The cell was exposed in November 2011 after Mundlos and Böhnhardt committed suicide to avoid arrest and Zschäpe set fire to their shared apartment in Zwickau. Zschäpe, the sole survivor, was convicted as an accomplice, although taz notes there is no evidence she was present at any crime scene.

Legal status

The decision is not yet legally binding. According to nd, both the defence and the Bundesanwaltschaft (Federal Prosecutor's Office) can file a complaint against the ruling. Tagesschau reports that if the decision is confirmed, Zschäpe could be released at the earliest when she is 60 years old.

This piece was generated automatically by an AI model from the sources listed below. It has not been reviewed by a human editor.

Sources

• Rechtsterrorismus | Zschäpe soll bis mindestens 2035 in Haft bleiben — nd
• Beate Zschäpe soll bis mindestens 2035 in Haft bleiben — Tagesschau
• NSU-Terroristin: Zschäpe soll bis mindestens 2035 in Haft bleiben — taz