Trial against Susann Eminger: NSU helper in court!

Trial against Susann Eminger: NSU helper in court!

In Kirchberg, south of Zwickau, an ongoing trial is causing tension and public attention. André Eminger, a former neo-Nazi who lives in a single-family home there, has left his right-wing extremist past behind him - or at least is trying to. “I want to lead a normal life for my children,” emphasizes Eminger, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in the NSU trial in 2018 because he provided apartments, health insurance cards and mobile homes to the underground members of the National Socialist Underground (NSU). Today he is in the dropout program and has suspended the remainder of his sentence on probation. Security authorities continue to classify the Emingers as right-wing extremists, which makes the situation more complicated. [taz.de].

The trial against Susann Eminger, André Eminger's wife, will soon begin at the Dresden Higher Regional Court. She is accused of supporting the NSU terrorists. It will be up for debate whether she knew about the devastating acts, including racially motivated murders. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years behind bars. The public prosecutor's office accuses her of supporting Beate Zschäpe, one of the NSU's main perpetrators, by making her health insurance card and personal details available to her, among other things. belltower.news provides further information on this trial, which begins more than 25 years after the NSU's first murder.

Process and possible statements by Beate Zschäpe

The growing pressure on the judiciary and the security authorities will also be felt in the coming hearings, especially when Beate Zschäpe is expected to be a witness in the trial. Your testimony could be crucial for Susann Eminger's defense and the entire trial. Zschäpe, who herself was sentenced to life in prison in 2018, has signaled in the past that she is willing to appear in an exit program, which creates additional complications. Nevertheless, the trial should not serve as an opportunity to abridge Zschäpe's rights, as is demanded by the victims and their relatives.

So far, Zschäpe has testified in several sessions at the Federal Criminal Police Office and may have provided information about Eminger that could influence the verdict in the trial. The negotiations are scheduled for December 3rd and 4th and January 29th. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has pointed out that a conviction of Susann Eminger is "sufficiently likely" based on the findings so far, which could strengthen the position of the relatives of the NSU victims.

The NSU complex at a glance

The NSU, which carried out a series of racially motivated murders from 2000 to 2007, tragically shocked Germany. Between 2000 and 2007, nine people, mostly from the migrant population, and a policewoman were killed. In addition to these murders, three bomb attacks and numerous robberies were also carried out. This not only represents a turning point, but also highlights the grievances and failures of the German authorities in dealing with right-wing extremist terror. The Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) has published an extensive dossier on this topic, which covers the various facets of the NSU complex, the murders, the reactions of society and the setbacks of the judiciary. bpb.de divides this dossier into four main topic areas.

The proceedings against the Emingers are being closely monitored and documented by various initiatives, including the anti-fascist initiative NSU-Watch. It remains to be seen how the justice system will deal with the complex relationship between the perpetrators and their supporters and whether the calls for clarification and justice will finally be heard. The next few weeks and months promise additional insights and hopefully more clarity in the thicket of the NSU complex.