Global Courant 2023-05-31 19:30:46
A court in East Germany has sentenced a 28-year-old woman to five years and three months in prison for participating in a series of attacks against neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists over a two-year period.
Suspect Lina E. holds a file folder in front of her face while standing in the courtroom of the Higher Regional Court of Dresden (OLG) in Dresden, Germany on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. A court in East Germany has sentenced the 28-year-old woman to five years and three months in prison for participating in a series of attacks on neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists over a period of two years. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)
The associated press
BERLIN — A court in East Germany has sentenced a 28-year-old woman to five years and three months in prison for participating in a series of attacks against neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists over a two-year period.
The German news agency dpa reported on Wednesday that the Dresden Regional Court has convicted Lina E., whose surname has not been released due to privacy rules, for membership of a criminal organization and serious bodily harm.
Prosecutors accused the student of “militant far-left ideology” and the idea of attacking far-right individuals in Leipzig and nearby cities. Three men, Lennart A., Jannis R. and Jonathan M., are said to have joined her at the end of 2019. The men were sentenced to prison terms of 27 to 39 months.
Lina E. has been in prison since her arrest on Nov. 5. 2020 fixed. The others have remained free.
One of the attacks that Lina E. was accused of helping orchestrate was a 2020 incident in which about 15 or 20 attackers beat a group of six people returning from a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Dresden . The event regularly attracts neo-Nazis and other far-right sympathizers. Prosecutors said several victims suffered serious injuries after being punched, kicked and beaten with clubs.
Defense attorneys had called for their clients to be acquitted, claiming the trial was politically motivated.
Far-left groups have announced plans to protest the verdict, prompting police to establish a large presence in Leipzig in anticipation of potential unrest. Leipzig authorities have restricted public gatherings in the city on weekends.
Germany’s top security official said the case showed that authorities do not accept any form of political violence. Interior Secretary Nancy Faeser said federal and state police will act decisively if there is any far-left violence in the coming weeks.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has come under scrutiny from security services for its ties to extremists, welcomed the verdict. It charged Lina E. and her co-defendants with “terrorist methods” and complained that the sentences were no longer.
