Stalled Retrial in the Fretterode Case Sparks Controversy
Sluggish Advancement of New Fretterode's Trial Continues - Unresolved status remains for the recently proposed Fretterode method
Here we are, stuck in a limbo with the long-awaited retrial for the Fretterode case, the attack on two journalists in 2018 in the quaint north Thuringian town, nowhere in sight. As things stand now, there's no word on a date for the main trial, reveals a spokesman for the Regional Court of Mühlhausen. He blames the massive pile-up of critical cases, like detention and commitment matters, and an overflow of older cases for the delay. While speed is obligatory in detention cases, the competent 1st Criminal Division is also the Higher Regional Court, and they'll set a date for the proceedings once their busy schedule permits, he assures.
Early last year, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe overruled the verdict of the Regional Court of Mühlhausen from September 2022 due to legal flaws in the evidence evaluation. The case was sent back to another chamber in Mühlhausen for a retrial. The two defendants were then handed down mild penalties for joint property damage and dangerous bodily harm, evoking nationwide outrage. The court disregarded a severe robbery and a political motive as proven. The public prosecutor's office and one co-plaintiff successfully appealed in Karlsruhe.
The delay and unease—and a complaint
The 2018 attack left two journalists from Göttingen seriously injured. They participated as co-plaintiffs in the trial. As stated in the proceedings initially, the journalists were chased, assaulted, and injured with a long wrench and a knife by the convicted individuals. Additionally, their reflex camera vanished during the attack.
One of the co-plaintiffs has already lodged a complaint of delay due to the delayed new trial, following the same course as in the initial trial. The Regional Court of Mühlhausen confirmed the receipt of the complaint, a key foundation for a potential compensation claim due to excessive duration of the proceedings. Lawyer Sven Adam from Göttingen, representing one of the journalists, criticizes the justice system in Mühlhausen, stating it fails miserably in this specific case. The two journalists can't expect justice or protection from the Mühlhausen justice system, he asserts, pointing to the alleged protection of neo-Nazis there. Whether the co-plaintiffs will rejoin the retrial remains uncertain.
- Mühlhausen
- Federal Court of Justice
- retrial
- Karlsruhe
- Justice System
- Delay
- Neo-Nazis
- Legal Flaws
- The delay in the retrial for the Fretterode case, initially scheduled to take place in Mühlhausen, has sparked controversy, particularly with one of the co-plaintiffs lodging a complaint of delay.
- The delay, coupled with the perceived failure of the Mühlhausen justice system, has led lawyer Sven Adam from Göttingen to assert that the journalists involved cannot expect justice or protection in Mühlhausen, allegedly due to the protection of neo-Nazis there. Meanwhile, the retrial's rescheduling, following legal flaws addressed by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, remains uncertain.
