NSU terrorist Zschäpe to remain imprisoned until at least 2035
Munich's Higher Regional Court has ruled that NSU terrorist Beate Zschäpe will not have a parole hearing until 2035 at the earliest. The decision is now final.
NSU terrorist Zschäpe: earliest release 2035
Beate Zschäpe will spend at least another nine years in prison. The Munich Higher Regional Court has determined that the 51-year-old right-wing terrorist will not receive a parole hearing until 2035 at the earliest, as reported by mdr.de. The ruling is now final following the decision by both the defence and the federal prosecutor's office to refrain from further appeals.
Zschäpe is serving her life sentence in Chemnitz Prison. The court also refused to suspend the execution of her sentence on probation. The decision was preceded by months of confidential deliberation by the responsible criminal senate.
The terrorist group "National Socialist Underground" (NSU) carried out several bomb attacks and armed robberies between 2000 and 2007. Zschäpe is held responsible for ten murders: nine of men with a migration background and one of a police officer. Munich's Higher Regional Court sentenced her to life imprisonment in July 2018 and found exceptional gravity of guilt — a decisive factor in release decisions.
Under German criminal enforcement law, a court must examine after 15 years of a life sentence whether conditional release is possible. However, a finding of "exceptional gravity of guilt" typically prevents release after this minimum sentence. On average, those serving life sentences in Germany spend approximately 20 years in prison.
Zschäpe has been in custody since November 2011. Following the deaths of her associates Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt and a failed bank robbery in Eisenach, she fled: she set fire to the trio's shared flat in Zwickau and turned herself in to police a few days later.
Currently, Zschäpe is participating in a non-governmental exit programme for right-wing extremists. Relatives of NSU victims criticise this sharply and accuse her of having contributed little to clarifying NSU crimes to this day.
Source: Die Zeit Kriminalität