Motions for evidence concerning the „exit“ of accused Gerlach from the Nazi scene

The only witness today had also dealt with the NSU notes from their scouting out potential victims. A map of Northern Germany showed a marking concerning an industrial estate in western Mecklenburg. Investigations showed that there was a printer’s shop which had been searched during the investigation into prohibited Nazi music.

Victims’ counsel then brought several motions for evidence concerning the claimed “exit” of accused Gerlach from the Nazi scene. Gerlach had claimed in court that he had begun distancing himself mentally from the Nazi scene since 1999 and had finally “exited” the scene in 2004, but had visited two Nazi demonstrations after that time (on his statement in court, see the report of 3 June 2013). The evidence will show that these claims are untrue: In 2002/2003, Continue reading →

Investigations concerning „Meral Keskin“

The first witness today reported once more on the notes found in the NSU apartment which showed them having scouted out potential victims.

The court then heard a federal police detective who had conducted investigations concerning the claimed private accessory prosecutor “Meral Keskin”. His rather thorough investigation led to the conclusion that that woman probably does not exist. “Keskin”’s counsel, Ralph Willms, had claimed, in a statement publicized by his own counsel, that he had been deceived by another victim from Cologne. His counsel now stated that Willms was unable, “for health reasons”, to testify as witness.

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More witnesses on the documents showing the NSU scouting out potential victims.

The first witness today, a federal criminal police detective, had evaluated the maps of the city of Kiel found in the Frühlingsstraße apartment. As to the contents of these documents, his testimony was far from spectacular. However, in describing the institutions listed, the witness several times referred to “Islamist” institutions when he meant “Islamic” ones, and when the presiding judge asked him about his terms, dug his own hole ever deeper: “I mean oriental, Ottoman, …”, generally institutions representing people with “backgrounds differing from that of the German Volk itself”. As is to be expected, this lead to murmurs of contradiction within the courtroom and in the public gallery. In reaction to these, Wohlleben defense counsel again showed his rightwing tendencies and loudly asked the presiding judge to restore order in the court.
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On the notes showing the NSU scouting out potential victims: an insight into their strategic plans?

The first witness today was a police officer who had questioned Juliane Walther. Walther herself had testified in court on 26 March 2014 and 27 March 2014 and had answered evasively, claimed memory gaps and even tried to deny some of the statements she had made in her police interview. Today’s witness confirmed that she had indeed made these statements to the police.

Wohlleben defence attorney Klemke asked the witness a number of questions concerning his earlier career in the “state security division” of the Jena criminal police. The witness proved unable to correctly answer even rather basic questions correctly. Continue reading →

Videos from the Frühlingsstraße apartment, evidence of another supporter, and signs that the court will once more refuse to clear up the facts.

Today the court dealt with videos from security cameras put up in the NSU apartment in the Frühlingsstraße in Zwickau. The trio had put cameras on all entrances to the lot as well as on their apartment door and had recorded their output. These videos were played today. Apart from inconspicuous, square everyday activities of the trio (bringing out the trash, hanging up clothing etc.), they show two visits by Susan Eminger, wife of accused André Eminger, with her children and by Matthias Dienelt, who had rented the apartment for the NSU. Both are suspects in separate investigations for supporting the NSU. Continue reading →

The defense continues its desperate motions. And: Lies and Trivialization, Part 16 – Mario Brehme once more.

Today the court rejected the motion for reconsideration brought yesterday by the Wohlleben defense. After a long recess requested by the Wohlleben defense, counsel Klemke read out a challenge for bias brought by his client against all judges. Once more, the reasoning was limited to the infighting within the Zschäpe defense, with only one meager sentence at the end devoted to trying to show its relevance to Wohlleben’s case. Counsel Grasel announced that Zschäpe “joined” the challenge for bias. It will be up to other judges of the court to find that these challenges lack any merit. Presiding judge Götzl decided not to wait for their decision, but to continue the trial in the meantime. Continue reading →

More pointless motions from the Zschäpe Wohlleben defense

Today the court was about to start taking evidence on notes found in the NSU apartment in the Frühlingsstraße detailing their scouting out potential victims. However, the defense again kept the court from this endeavor by way of pointless motions:

The court began by rejecting the motion by the Wohlleben defense to suspend the hearing and release Wohlleben from detention. His defense responded by first asking for an interruption and then bringing a motion for reconsideration, claiming that the court had failed to take into account inter alia statement by Zschäpe’s assigned counsel that they were unable to conduct a proper defense.

The Zschäpe defense remained entirely passive throughout the whole event – even counsel Grasel, who last week had declared that Zschäpe joined the Wohlleben defense motion, now did not even join the motion for reconsideration. Continue reading →

Much ado about nothing – Wohlleben defense tries to set Zschäpe’s counsel against each other.

After accused Beate Zschäpe had sabotaged the motion brought yesterday by her assigned counsel Heer, Stahl and Sturm by simply stating that she had not known of that motion beforehand, today the Wohlleben defense made another attempt. They stated that Wohlleben joined the motion by the Zschäpe defense in order to check, based on the official statements by the judges, whether to challenge them for bias. In addition – this is in fact the main point of today’s motion – they moved that the hearing be suspended – i.e., stopped now and started anew at a later point in time. Until then, they further moved, the court was to ensure that Zschäpe was adequately defended, Wohlleben was to be released from pre-trial detention. Continue reading →

On the debate on violence within the “Kameradschaft Jena”, and on Meral K.

Yesterday, the scandal concerning private accessory prosecutor Meral K., who apparently does not exist and who was represented until last week by attorney Ralph Willms, reached the courtroom in Munich. After presiding judge Goetzl had summoned her several times and had put massive pressure on her counsel to tell the court where his client was, Willms now issued a statement in writing claiming that he was deceived and that his supposed client did not exist after all. Willms went on to claim that another private prosecutor had offered to connect him to Meral K. for a fee, which he had paid. He claimed that he had only now found out that his client did not exist and that he had pressed charged against the “broker”. According to Willms, he had not realized until now that the doctor’s note which he had sent to the court was faked. Continue reading →