Fretterode process: neo-Nazi perpetrators use tactics of delay!

Fretterode process: neo-Nazi perpetrators use tactics of delay!

in the Fretteroden procedure, which is still in the suspension, the lawyers of the co-lawn complain about a delay tactic from the Mühlhausen Regional Court. Despite the serious allegations that are on two neo -Nazis, the court fails to set a new hearing date. As reported [taz.de] (https://taz.de/verzoäger-im-freetterode- process/!6093088/), a Göttingen co-plaintiff has already raised a delay. The matter is now more than 14 months after the referral by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) due to procedural errors on ice.

The attack occurred in April 2018 when two journalists who wanted to document a meeting of right -wing extremists were persecuted and seriously injured by the surroundings of Thorsten Heise. Heise, an influential player in militant neo -Nazism, is the NPD's Federal Vice Vice, which has now renamed “Die Heimat”. The neo -Nazis were armed with a knife and a wrench and brutally attacked the journalists. According to [frisn.de] (https://www.fr.de/politik/bundengerichtshof-hieb-mildes-revon-nach-neonazi-attacke- 92889164.html) one of the reporters suffered a stab injury while his colleague had to be taken to the hospital with a skull fracture.

court ruling and its consequences

In September 2022, the Mühlhausen district court sentenced the perpetrators to only mild punishments: a suspended sentence of one year and 200 working hours. No targeted attack on the press or political motivation was recognized. This decision was sharply criticized by the public prosecutor and the sub -plants, since the neo -Nazis were also acquitted of the robbery. The assessment of evidence was described by the BGH as "incomplete", which ultimately led to the abolition of the judgment.

The lawyers of the co -plaintiffs express themselves pessimistically about the opportunities of a fair trial in Mühlhausen. Together with the Göttingen lawyer Sven Adam, they criticize that the judiciary fails and caused strict judgments. The court, on the other hand, rejects the allegations of the delay and leads personnel bottlenecks as well as the time during the corona pandemic.

A look at the right -wing extremist scene

While the process continues to be a long time, it is worth taking a look at the current developments in the right -wing extremist scene. As reported by the Protection of the Constitution, the personal potential of violence-oriented right-wing extremists has increased to around 15,300 people. In 2024, more than 37,800 right -wing extremist crimes were registered - a worrying increase of 47.4 % compared to the previous year. In addition, the number of acts of violence rose by 11.6 % to 1,281.

The growth in assault offenses with xenophobic background and in the case of xenophobic acts of violence are particularly alarming. Here the question arises how the fight against this development can be continued and whether a fair judgment in Mühlhausen can actually be achieved. The case of journalists could thus represent a pioneering example of the entire legal examination of right -wing extremism in Germany.