Germany gripped by neo-Nazi murder trial
Surviving alleged member of National Socialist Underground cell set to be tried in Munich over series of racist murders.
Last Modified: 06 May 2013 11:17
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A high-profile neo-Nazi trial that focuses on ten mostly racially motivated murders by an underground far-right gang has started in Munich.
Beate Zschaepe, believed to be the last surviving member of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) group, and four others accused of assisting the gang, are being tried.
Zschaepe, 38, is charged with complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000-2007, as well as two bombings in immigrant areas of Cologne, and 15 bank robberies.
The case has been controversial as for several years the police wrongly blamed the murders on the Turkish mafia.
"With its historical, social and political dimensions the NSU trial is one of the most significant of post-war German history," lawyers for the family of the first victim, flower seller Enver Simsek, said in a statement.
The case has shaken a country that believed it had learned the lessons of its past, and has reopened a debate about whether Germany must do more to tackle the far-right and lingering racist attitudes.
Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull, reporting from outside the court in Munich, said that the case raised bigger questions within German society.
“Beyond the court, the public debate is likely to continue and rage over this issue, ranging from official incompetence to institutional racism and why this neo-Nazi cell was allowed to exist for so long.
“Why the police persisted in the view that the killings were related to gang warfare within immigrant community and why the focus was not on the risk from the far right, these are questions that have thrown such a spotlight on this case."
'Nazi bride'
The existence of the gang only came to light in November 2011 when the two men believed to have founded the NSU with Zschaepe, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt, committed suicide after a botched bank robbery and set their caravan ablaze in the eastern town of Eisenach.
In the charred vehicle, police found the gun used to murder all 10 victims.
The trial is expected to take more than a year [Reuters]
Our correspondent said that Zschaepe, dubbed the "Nazi bride", allegedly set fire to the flat she shared with the two men before going on the run for four days and then eventually handing herself in.
Despite the fire, police were still able to unearth evidence of the murders, our correspondent said.
A DVD with a film in the style of a "Pink Panther" cartoon, which the group had produced earlier claiming responsibility for the attacks, is among the evidence.
Zschaepe's lawyers deny she was involved in the murders, for which she faces life in prison if found guilty.
Up to 600 witnesses are expected to be called during the trial, which could take more than a year to complete.
For the victims' families, the opening day of the trial will be their first chance to see the accused in person, as they seek answers to why their loved ones were gunned down.
It also reawakens controversy regarding the investigations of the murders at the time, when some relatives came under suspicion by police.
Anger was stoked by revelations that the security forces failed to find the killers for more than a decade, and an admission that files relating to the New Socialist movement had been shredded that could have helped the investigation.
"All the relatives have the huge problem that they were never treated as victims. During the investigations they were either considered suspects, or as relatives of criminals," said lawyer Angelika Lex.
Dozens of anti-racist demonstrators rallied outside a German courthouse where the trial will take place.
Turkey row
Berlin last month apologised before the UN Human Rights Council for mistakes in probing the NSU murders which the government's top official on human rights described as "one of the worst human rights abuses in recent decades" in Germany.
As most of the victims originated from Turkey, the trial is expected to be intensely scrutinised beyond Germany's borders.
A controversy over the accreditation of journalists has overshadowed the run-up to the trial after the court initially failed to guarantee Turkish media seats when it handed out reserved spots on a first-come, first-served basis.
The incident strained German-Turkish ties and forced a last-minute postponement when Germany's top court ordered it to allocate seats to foreign reporters.
Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies
