Higher Regional Court - Hezbollah officials sentenced to several years in prison
In the first trial against functionalities of the Lebanese Hezbollah in Germany, the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg sentenced two men to several years in prison. In this proceedings, two questions had to be determined, stated the chairwoman of the State Protection Senate, Petra Wende-Spors, on Friday: Whether Hezbollah is a criminal association abroad in the penal sense, and whether the two defendants were members of this association. "Both questions are clearly answerable with yes", said the judge.
A 50-year-old Lebanese man was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, and a 56-year-old German-Lebanese man was sentenced to three years. The court thus met the demand of the Federal Prosecutor's Office. The defendants had demanded acquittal. An appeal can be filed against the judgment.
The two defendants were arrested on May 10 of the previous year in the Lower Saxony districts of Aurich and Cuxhaven. The 50-year-old, according to the court's conviction, mainly took care of Lebanese associations in North Germany. He regularly appeared as a preacher and "traveling sheikh," for example, at the banned Al-Mustafa Community in Bremen in 2022.
The 56-year-old, according to the court's conviction, was also active as a foreign functionary of Hezbollah. Since 2009, he had been a member and since 2012 the chairman of the Al-Mustafa Community. Both defendants had close relationships with the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), which, according to the Constitution Protection, is controlled by Iran. For the Shia-Islamist Hezbollah ("Party of God"), a registration ban has been in effect in Germany since April 2020.
Press release on arrest 10.5.23 Federal Ministry of the Interior Hezbollah Press release from the Senator for Interior of Bremen on the ban of the Al-Mustafa Community Press release on the indictment
The conviction of the two men in the Hamburg Higher Regional Court highlights Germany's stance against organizations linked to terrorism, specifically the Lebanese Hezbollah. The court’s verdict marks a significant development in the ongoing process against foreign functioning members of Hezbollah within German territories.
The sentencing of a 50-year-old Lebanese man to five and a half years and a 56-year-old German-Lebanese man to three years has raised concerns about the presence and activities of such entities in Lower Saxony regions such as Aurich and Cuxhaven.
The trial had significant implications, as it tackled questions regarding Hezbollah's designation as a criminal association abroad and the defendants' membership in the organization. The court's affirmative answers to these questions reinforce Germany's commitment to combating crime and terrorism, not only domestically but also abroad.
The two defendants' associations with the banned Al-Mustafa Community in Bremen and their ties to the Islamic Center Hamburg, controlled by Iran, further illustrate the complex web of relations between international organizations and their local affiliates.
Limiting the influence and activities of Hezbollah within Germany is crucial to maintaining the country's security and upholding its stance against terrorism. The verdict serves as a reminder that Germany, alongside its allies, will remain vigilant against threats to its citizens and the international community, both in Lower Saxony and other regions of the country.
