GERMANY-NEO-NAZIS/TRIAL Attorneys for German suspected neo-Nazi resign, trial suspended

Record ID: 146513

  • Title: GERMANY-NEO-NAZIS/TRIAL Attorneys for German suspected neo-Nazi resign, trial suspended
  • Date: 20th July 2015
  • Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (FILE - 23 APRIL 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SUSPECTED NEO-NAZI BEATE ZSCHAEPE IN COURT
  • Embargoed: 4th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8L8849K4SEK2IWH1E9XG3WFW5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The three lawyers of a suspected neo-Nazi charged with complicity in a series of racist murders that scandalised Germany announced their resignation on Monday (July 20) due to irreconcilable differences.
    Beate Zschaepe is accused of helping found a neo-Nazi cell, the National Socialist Underground (NSU), and of complicity in the murders of 10 people, mostly ethnic Turks, from 2000 to 2007.
    The murders went undetected for more than a decade and came to light only by chance in late 2011, shocking Germans and triggering criticism of the country's intelligence service.
    The 40-year-old woman has expressed the lack of trust in her lawyers in the past, but in the end it seems to be the three lawyers who have decided to not represent her anymore.
    "Sometimes changes happen in the relationship between a client, and especially in such a big trial. If the defence lawyer wants to carry out his job responsively, he has to ask himself constantly whether he can continue his mandate and whether he sees himself in the position to adequately and effectively defend someone. We have come to the conclusion that this is no longer the case," one of her former lawyers, Wolfgang Heer, told reporters outside the Higher Regional Court in Munich.
    The trial has gone on for more than a year, and the move could lead to an appeal and extend it even more, according to Wolfgang Stahl, a second lawyer.
    "It could also happen that, at the end of the trial and if the defence lawyers remain the same, she could have a reason to appeal by claiming that she was not adequately represented from the start of the trial. And this could be the case in the last part of the trial after we declared that we cannot longer represent her," he said.
    Sebastian Scharmer represents the daughter of Mehmet Kubasik, who was shot dead in Dortmund in 2006 and is one of victims that Zschaepe is accused of taking part in.
    He said they just wanted justice and therefore the trial to go on.
    "My client can neither comprehend the focus of the trial nor the media attention regarding the dispute between Mrs. Zschaepe and her defence lawyers. For her, this is about the murder of her father. Overall we are talking about ten murders and two explosives attacks and a lot of robberies. We need to move on with the current trial and these games do not get us any further. I have nothing against a serious defence, even with harsh applications. But this is just not acceptable," he said.
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