Right-wing extremism - Prison sentences in the "Knockout 51" trial - criticism of justification
In the process of a group called "Knockout 51" being a far-right combat sports group, the State Protection Chamber at the Oberlandesgericht Jena has sentenced four men to prison terms. Three of the defendants are to serve two years and two months, two years and six months, and three years and ten months respectively. The fourth defendant received a juvenile sentence of two years and six months.
All four defendants were members of the far-right organization "Knockout 51," according to the presiding judge of the chamber, Martin Giebel, during the verdict reading. In the Thuringian Constitutional Protection Report 2022, "Knockout 51" is described as "violence-prone, neo-Nazi associations with anti-democratic goals."
"Offensive propagation of far-right ideology"
The group was much more than just an apolitical martial arts association. "The real main purpose of this group was rather the offensive propagation of far-right ideology," said Giebel. It had a National Socialist fundamental orientation and was directed against democracy.
As members of this group, the now convicted men, according to the court's belief, had committed numerous acts of bodily harm and in some cases violated the Weapons Act. They had primarily acted as a law enforcement force in Eisenach and also wanted to assert their own interests. Members of the group had beaten and threatened other people if they did not behave as they wanted.
Federal Prosecutor classifies the group as terrorist
With the judgment, the Oberlandesgericht does not follow the assessment of the Federal Prosecutor. This one sees in "Knockout 51" also a terrorist organization. The group, according to the court's belief, was not directed towards the commission of murder and manslaughter but towards the commission of bodily harm.
In his indictment, the Federal Prosecutor had emphasized that the four men had prepared serious crimes. "At least from April 2021, the association 'Knockout 51' was, in addition to the commission of bodily harm, directed towards the killing of attackers from the left-wing scene," said the representative of the Federal Prosecutor during the reading of the indictment. The men had planned to kill their political opponents through the use of knives, axes, and machetes. They had also possessed such weapons. Even during the pleading of the Federal Prosecutor, his representatives had held to this assessment.
Presiding Judge: Terror charge fabricated
Giebel now stated during the judgment explanation, the charge that "Knockout 51" was a terrorist organization was fabricated by the Federal Prosecutor. "That is a pure fiction that must be clearly stated." The fundamental violence readiness of the members of "Knockout 51," according to the court's view, had always stood under a self-defense pretext from the perspective of the right-wing extremists.
The men wanted to prepare for the possibility that they would be attacked by Left-extremists. After all, there have been attacks by Left-extremists on Right-extremists in the past. "It's a matter of deterrence," said Giebel. The members of "Knockout 51" wanted to prevent possible attacks on themselves "through their own strength." This principle was not unknown. Up until the 1990s, world politics rested on the principle of deterrence, according to Giebel.
Judge: Alleged murder plans not carried out
The representation of the Federal Prosecutor General that the accused had used the right of self-defense only to hide planned murders on political opponents was not proven by the court. On the contrary, the fact that they had had a year to carry out these alleged plans without it happening spoke against this, said Giebel.
Criticism from the left: judgment downplays danger from the right
In particular, this part of the judgment justification has since caused sharp criticism. "Such a judgment for serious organized acts of violence, weapons acquisition, and murder plans can almost be understood as a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card for the Thuringian Justice for the extreme right," said the Left state parliamentarian Katharina König-Preuss. Once again, the danger posed by armed Right-wing extremists was being downplayed by a Thuringian court. The victim protection organization ezra criticized that with the judgment, a perpetrator-victim reversal was being committed.
The Federal Prosecutor General had demanded significantly harsher sentences for the four accused, while their lawyers had demanded milder sentences. The judgment is not yet legally binding.
- The four men, who are right-wing extremists, were members of the violence-prone neo-Nazi association "Knockout 51" in Thuringia.
- The martial arts group "Knockout 51" had a National Socialist fundamental orientation and was directed against democracy, according to the presiding judge.
- As members of this group, the men were believed by the court to have committed numerous acts of bodily harm and violations of the Weapons Act.
- The State Protection Chamber at the Oberlandesgericht Jena sentenced three men to prison terms of two years and two months, two years and six months, and three years and ten months respectively.
- The fourth defendant received a juvenile sentence of two years and six months due to his age.
- Despite classifying "Knockout 51" as a terrorist organization, the Oberlandesgericht did not follow this assessment and did not find evidence of murder plans.
- Criticism has been raised by the Left state parliamentarian Katharina König-Preuss, who argues that the judgment downplays the danger from the right-wing extremists in Thuringia.
