Extremism - detention in the Hamburg 'Reichsbürger' trial
In the process of a case concerning alleged Reichsbürger (Reich citizens), the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg sentenced a 67-year-old man from the area of Bad Bramstedt in Schleswig-Holstein to a prison term of two years' probation. The Senate for State Protection in Hamburg considered it proven that the defendant supported a terrorist organization and helped in the planning of a high-treasonous undertaking. Additionally, he committed weapons law violations.
According to the court, the man joined the so-called Kaiserreichsgruppe in early 2022. This group aimed to establish an authoritarian government system in Germany modeled after the Constitution of the German Empire of 1871.
Obscure statements in the trial
The defendant also expressed his support for Russia, stated the presiding judge. What he said in the trial was so obscure that one could only shake one's head. "They took on organizational tasks for the group," the presiding judge said to the defendant. He was also involved in the discussion of weapons acquisition. According to the court's conviction, the 67-year-old was not a main offender.
The prosecution had demanded a prison sentence of two years and ten months, while the defense pleaded for no more than two years. The judgment is not yet legally binding.
At the beginning of the trial in late May, the man admitted the accusation charges. However, his statement that he had distanced himself from the plans later did not fully convince the judges.
- The defense argued against the proposed prison sentence, advocating instead for a probation sentence due to the defendant's age and no prior criminal record in the process taking place in Hamburg.
- The Appellate Court is currently reviewing the judgments made by the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in the case involving the 67-year-old man, who was sentenced to a probation term for supporting extremist views and planning high-treasonous activities in Schleswig-Holstein.
- The man's trial in Bad Bramstedt revealed his involvement in the illegal activities of the Kaiserreichsgruppe, a group aiming to implement an authoritarian system in Germany based on the 1871 Empire's Constitution.
- The 67-year-old's actions, while support for the Kaiserreichsgruppe and participation in weapons acquisition discussions, did not qualify him as a primary offender, according to the ruling handed down by the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Germany.
- The Penalty for freedom the man received due to his involvement in the upheaval plan aimed at overthrowing the current German government through extremist means is causing controversy among legal experts and human rights advocates worldwide.
- Recent events in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein have highlighted the need for stricter measures to combat extremism and terrorism within the country, with a renewed focus on monitoring and preventing the spread of such ideologies in various communities.
