Germany: Neo-Nazi terrorist Zschäpe to stay in prison until at least 2035
A Munich court rejected early release for the NSU member, setting a minimum term of 24 years. It cited her renunciation of Nazi ideology but said her guilt was too grave. The ruling can be appealed.
Archive image · Photo: Fred Romero from Paris, France / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Convicted neo-Nazi terrorist Beate Zschäpe must remain in prison until at least 2035, a German court has ruled. The 6th criminal senate of the Higher Regional Court in Munich set the minimum term of her life sentence at 24 years and rejected parole. The decision is dated Oct. 23 and was made public Tuesday. Federal prosecutors had sought 25 years, the defense 20. Zschäpe has been in custody since November 2011 and is held in a prison in Chemnitz.
In her favor, the court cited her distancing from Nazi ideology, her clean conduct in prison and her admission of guilt. According to the court, the 51-year-old expressed shame at having destroyed or severely harmed the lives of innocent people. Decisive against release, however, were the number of killings and other serious crimes that established the particular gravity of her guilt.
Zschäpe was sentenced to life in July 2018 in Munich's NSU trial, including for murder in 10 cases, with the court finding particular gravity of guilt. The far-right terror cell, the National Socialist Underground, killed nine men with immigrant backgrounds and a policewoman. The new ruling is not yet final: the parties can file an immediate appeal with the Federal Court of Justice.