Defense closing statements to start tomorrow.
The trial day today began at 11:30 – rejecting the challenges for alleged bias brought by the Wohlleben defense took some time. The court then read into evidence some police reports on fake letter bombs sent out around New Year’s 1996/1997– by members of the “Comradeship Jena” according to the evidence. Our colleague Peer Stolle, in his closing statement, had referred to these and other crimes committed before 1998 to show that the accused and their “comrades” had already formed a criminal organization at that point, an organization which must be considered a precursor to the NSU.
In the early afternoon, the court then asked Zschäpe defense counsel Borchert to begin his closing statement, but Borchert announced that Zschäpe was ill. After a visit by the court physician, the trial and thus the beginning of the closing statement was thus postponed until tomorrow.
Today not only the wife of Ralf Wohlleben was present “to give assistance” to her husband, but so was the wife of André Eminger, Susann Eminger – who is suspected of having provided support to the NSU and is therefore subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.