“Antifa East Complex” | Karlsruhe lifts second detention against Lina E

The Karlsruhe judges criticized the Attorney General’s desire to prosecute as “strange.” Photo: dpa/Sebastian Willnow In its decision of October 7th, the Federal Constitutional Court once again decided in an expedited procedure that the well-known anti-fascist Lina E. may not be taken into custody for six months for the time being. Her lawyer Erkan Zünbül announced this on Saturday.

After an initial decision in Karlsruhe, only the execution of the detention from the Dresden “Antifa Ost” trial against E. was initially suspended. The Dresden Public Prosecutor's Office then executed an earlier, similar decision from the Dresden District Court from another investigation. This is about the attack on a sewer worker in Leipzig-Connewitz in 2019. There, too, Lina E. remained silent as a witness so as not to incriminate herself. The Constitutional Court now also emphasizes this freedom from self-incrimination in its second decision.

Preventive detention is a legal means of pressure that is intended to force those affected to testify as witnesses. The measure was imposed on Lina E. by order of the Dresden Higher Regional Court (OLG) after she was released early from prison at the end of May 2026. There she had served a sentence that the same court had imposed in the “Antifa East” complex in May 2023 for grievous bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization with a prison term of five years and three months. The anti-fascist is said to have been involved in attacks on neo-Nazis from 2018 to 2020; the public prosecutor described her as a central figure in the group.

As a summoned witness in the Dresden “Antifa Ost” trial, E. invoked her legally enshrined right to refuse to provide information in order to avoid incriminating herself. The Federal Court of Justice had previously rejected a complaint from Lina E. on the matter. In September, however, the Federal Constitutional Court decided in an expedited procedure that the detention order must be temporarily revoked.

The Karlsruhe judges criticized the second detention as a “strange decision by the public prosecutor’s office” under the rule of law. Zünbül also calls the procedure a “highly worrying process.” The highest prosecution authority did not respect the fundamental rights concerns from Karlsruhe, but instead sought another way to imprison Lina E. “Such criticism from Karlsruhe should be an unmistakable warning signal for a law enforcement agency,” said Zünbül.

A final decision on Lina E.'s two constitutional complaints is still pending. The urgent decision is valid until the decision in the main proceedings, but for a maximum of six months.

Meanwhile, the major Antifa trial before the Higher Regional Court against six defendants continued on Monday. The negotiations are, among others, against Johann G., who is described as Lina E.'s former partner, and against a woman from her alleged environment. In this case, too, the Federal Prosecutor's Office wants to punish jointly committed physical injuries against actual or alleged right-wing extremists, including those committed during the annual right-wing extremist "Day of Honor" march in Budapest. The Federal Prosecutor's Office has accused individual defendants of attempted murder in two cases.

38-year-old Henry A. from Leipzig was also on trial in the complex in Dresden. On the night of October 24, 2026, he died as a result of a suicide attempt in August.

The second Karlsruhe emergency decision on Lina E.'s exemption from self-incrimination comes at a time when the left-wing scene is fundamentally discussing statements and statements. In July, six defendants declared in a parallel “Antifa Ost” trial in Düsseldorf that the allegations against them about acts in Budapest were fundamentally correct. At the same time, they denied a murder charge.

Critics fear that this statement could put pressure on other defendants, including those in Budapest, to also testify in order to avoid being subjected to harsher sentences. However, as far as is known, this has not happened so far.

Other media have corporations or billionaires behind them. We have the nd.Genossenschaft and readers like you. That makes us independent and that’s exactly how we want to remain. But it also means: without you the calculation won't work. We need 300,000 euros by the end of the year.

You can donate directly here, one-time or regularly, so that nd stays.