National Socialist Underground trial

Accused were Beate Zschäpe and four suspected helpers and supporters: André Eminger, Holger Gerlach [de], Carsten Schultze and former NPD official Ralf Wohlleben.

Beate Zschäpe was found guilty of murder on 11 July 2018 and was sentenced to life imprisonment, which her lawyer said she would immediately appeal.

[8] A series of murders that targeted small business owners, including doner kebab vendors and greengrocers with immigrant backgrounds took place in Germany between 2000 and 2007.

[10] Following the suicides of two Neo-Nazis, Beate Zschäpe turned herself in to the German police in Jena and was held in custody on suspicion of her involvement in the attacks.

It raised a strong interest from the public society, some people arrived the night before the deliberation in order to have one of the hundred seats available in the room where the trial took place.

[13] The objections centered on defence as well as plaintiff counsel being searched before entering the courtroom, while federal prosecutors and members of the court were not.

[16] Mahmut Tanal, a member of the Turkish parliament representing the Republican People's Party (CHP) who attended the first day of the proceedings, complained that the presence of a crucifix in the courtroom violated the secular principles of the rule of law and was a threat to all non-Christians.

[13] Schultze read a statement and demanded that Ralf Wohlleben, whose lawyers directed questions at him, but who himself remained in silence, also confesses.

Prosecutors wanted to know about contacts Böhnhardt and Mundlos had with people who had not appeared in court and if Susann Eminger knew about the criminal activity.

[28] Edith Lunnebach, who represented a victim of an attack in Cologne in 2001, criticized the prosecutors that they still see the NSU as only a cell of three people containing Zschäppe, Mundlos and Böhnhardt.

[28] Mehmet Daimagüler, who represented the families of two victims of the National Socialist Underground murders, focused on the insufficient investigations which excluded the wider network of the NSU.

[13] On 11 July 2018, Beate Zschäpe was found guilty of ten counts of murder, membership in a terror organization and arson, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

[8] Several family members of the victims were dissatisfied with the trial which they said barely touched on the culpability of the German police services who took over 11 years to solve the crimes and spent years investigating the family members of victims while German media publicly ridiculed the killings by labeling them "the kebab murders.