Beate Zschäpe, the sole surviving member of the far-right NSU (National Socialist Underground) terrorist organization that rocked Germany, has applied to the court for early release from prison. The Munich Higher Regional Court (OLG) held a hearing yesterday in a closed session regarding Zschäpe's request.

According to information provided by the court spokesperson, during the hearing, which lasted approximately one and a half hours, Zschäpe's lawyer, Mathias Grasel, requested a prison sentence not exceeding a total of 20 years for his client. Grasel asked for this period to be considered together with the time Zschäpe has already served.

Regarding Zschäpe, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 by the Munich Higher Regional Court for complicity in the NSU murders, the court had also ruled on the "particular gravity of the guilt". This decision means that Zschäpe cannot be automatically released despite completing 15 years. However, this 15-year minimum prison term, which began with Zschäpe's arrest in November 2011, expires this November. The court is expected to decide in the coming days how much longer Zschäpe must remain in prison as a minimum.

Zschäpe is serving her sentence at Chemnitz Prison in the state of Saxony and was specially brought to Munich for the hearing. It was also learned last year that she was accepted into a deradicalization program for former Neo-Nazis.

NSU Terror and Zschäpe’s Role

Beate Zschäpe, a founding member of the NSU terror cell along with Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt, was accused of complicity in 10 murders committed across Germany starting from 2000. Nine of the victims were small business owners of Turkish and Greek origin, and one was a German police officer. The organization also carried out two bomb attacks in Cologne, injuring dozens of people.

While Mundlos and Böhnhardt committed suicide in 2011 to avoid capture, Zschäpe was apprehended, tried, and convicted. Despite there being no direct evidence that Zschäpe was present at any of the murder scenes, the court ruled that she was an accomplice to the crimes as part of the organization. The court is expected to announce its decision regarding Zschäpe's parole request in the coming weeks.