Years of searching for justice: BGH judges racist arson attack!

Years of searching for justice: BGH judges racist arson attack!

On January 9, 2025, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe negotiates a particularly explosive case from the past: the conviction of a man for a racist-motivated arson attack on an asylum seeker home in Saarlouis in 1991. The Higher Regional Court of Koblenz, a 20-year-old German, had a youth penalty of six years and ten months Serious arson imposed on October 9, 2023. A man died in the devastating fire, while more than twenty other residents were immediately confronted with life or serious injuries.

The arson attack, which took place on the night of September 19, 1991, was committed to foreigners from a deeply seated hatred and aimed to make the home unusable and to drive away the residents. The judgment of the Higher Regional Court found that the accused assumed that the residents could bring themselves to safety in good time, which led to a tragic loss than a person died of the consequences of the burns while others suffered serious injuries.

reopening of the investigation

The investigation into this case was stopped in the 1990s without any results. Years later, however, a witness spoke up, which led to the resumption of the investigation. This illustrates how important it is that victims and eyewitnesses are able to raise their voices to seek justice. The social context has changed in recent years: racism and right -wing extremist violence have become increasingly visible in Germany, which also makes the investigation and legal procedures more complex.

The BGH now checks the previous judgments, whereby revisions are the subject of both the Federal Attorney General as well as the accused and four co -plaintiffs. While the general prosecutor is aiming for adaptation of the guilty verdict, the co -plaintiffs are of the opinion that the accused was not sufficiently convicted of attempted murder. The revision deals with the questions of the intent of killing and the severity of the accused crimes.

context of violence against refugees

The debate about racist motivated violence is particularly relevant in today's world, in which Germany is faced with a flood of attacks on refugee accommodation. In 2023, 222 violent attacks on such accommodations were recorded nationwide, whereby the educational rate has remained particularly low in comparison to similar offenses. Only in a small number of these cases were the perpetrators being held accountable. This shows a fundamental problem in dealing with right -wing extremist violence and law enforcement in Germany and contributes to widespread skepticism towards the institutions.

In the case of the arson attack in Saarlouis, a decision by the BGH is expected on Thursday (Az. 3 StR 149/24). The resulting condemnation could be an important step in the legal examination of racist violence and is another indication of the ongoing examination of the German past.

The company will look forward to the results of the negotiation, which will not only clarify the legal dimension of the case, but also leave question marks about dealing with racist violence at the present time.