Trial in the murder case Walter Lübcke begins - state of emergency also due to corona pandemic

The murder of Walter Lübcke (CDU) caused horror nationwide. Now the trial against the suspect Stephan E. begins under strict security precautions.

• The trial in the murder case of Walter Lübcke begins at the higher regional court in Frankfurt on Tuesday .
• The former district president of Kassel was killed in the head in June 2019.
• The main accused Stephan E. is accused of a right-wing extremist motive.
• The corona pandemic is also subject to strict security measures at the court. 

Frankfurt / Kassel - The trial in the murder of Kassel government president Walter Lübcke (CDU) is expected to start at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court (OLG). Because of the murder of Lübcke, two men have to answer for the OLG: 46-year-old Stephan E. from Kassel is accused of shooting the CDU politician on his terrace a year ago. 

The 44-year-old Markus H. is said to have supported him in preparing the crime . He is therefore charged with helping with the murder. The process start in front of the State Protection Senate takes place under high security precautions. In addition, the number of viewers is very limited due to the Corona * pandemic .

Lübcke murder: Federal prosecutors see a right-wing extremist motive

On the night of June 2, 2019 , the then 65-year-old Lübcke was shot in the head . The federal prosecutor sees a right-wing extremist motive. Lübcke had spoken out in 2015 for accepting refugees and had thus become a hate figure for the extreme right. The CDU politician fell victim to online hate and agitation before his death , and even after the fact rights made him an enemy.

In the accused E., the Federal Prosecutor's Office sees a “ racial and xenophobic * nationalistic, nationalist attitude ” as the motive. After his arrest , the 46-year-old made a confession , which he later revoked . E. is also accused of attacking an Iraqi asylum seeker in January 2016. The victim was seriously injured in a knife attack from behind.

The spouse and two sons of the murdered person will also take part in the trial. The spokesman and lawyer of the Lübcke family want to make a statement before the trial begins. Numerous other trial dates are scheduled until October .

Lübcke murder: Only a limited number of journalists allowed because of Corona

There was great public interest in the case even before the trial started . More than 200 journalists from 70 domestic and foreign media were accredited to the Higher Regional Court for reporting.

However, due to the corona pandemic , courtroom space is severely limited . There is a minimum distance of 1.5 meters in the auditorium and on the press box, wearing mouth-nose covers is also mandatory. While there is usually room for 60 media representatives in the press box, under the corona conditions only 19 journalists can sit there. For 41 more there is a sound transmission to another hall. There is space for 18 visitors in the auditorium.

The start of the process is expected to be accompanied by rallies . Among other things, the North Hessian initiative "Open for Diversity" and the "Interventionist Left Frankfurt" have announced. While the Kassel initiative advocates democratic values, the left-wing activists are demanding "extensive information, right-wing networks and all connections to the protection of the constitution and the NSU."

dpa

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital network.