German court rules neo-Nazi convicted in racist murders must remain jailed until at least 2035
- Beate Zschape, convicted over 10 killings by far-right NSU terror group, must serve at least 24 years before possible release
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- Beate Zschape, convicted over 10 killings by far-right NSU terror group, must serve at least 24 years before possible release
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - A German court ruled Tuesday that convicted neo-Nazi terrorist Beate Zschape must remain in prison until at least 2035, rejecting her bid for early release.
The Munich Higher Regional Court set her minimum detention period at 24 years and declined to suspend the remainder of her life sentence on probation, German news agency DPA reported.
Zschape, 51, was a key member of the far-right terrorist group National Socialist Underground (NSU), which murdered 10 people between 2000 and 2007, including eight Turkish immigrants, a Greek citizen and a German policewoman.
She was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 for her involvement in the group's crimes.
Last year, Zschape applied to the EXIT rehabilitation program, which helps individuals disengage from far-right extremism, in an effort to secure early release.
Relatives of the NSU victims strongly opposed her release, arguing that she had shown no genuine remorse and had refused to provide investigators with information about the murders, the group's wider support network or possible links to intelligence informants and security officials.
- NSU's racist murders
The NSU carried out a series of racially motivated killings, bombings and robberies across Germany between 2000 and 2007.
The group's existence and responsibility for the murders came to light on Nov. 4, 2011, when two of its members, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Bohnhardt, died by suicide following a failed bank robbery.
Evidence subsequently uncovered by investigators linked the group to the killings.
For years, German police and intelligence agencies had largely dismissed possible racist motives, instead investigating victims' families and alleged connections to organized crime and drug trafficking.
Media investigations later revealed that Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), and its regional branches had numerous informants with past contacts with NSU suspects.
Authorities, however, maintained that they had no prior knowledge of the terror cell's existence or its involvement in the murders.
The scandal sparked a nationwide debate over institutional racism and failures within Germany's security and intelligence services, which faced criticism for underestimating the threat of far-right extremism.
Ayhan Şimşek