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Kim Teresa A. in court: Did not travel to Syria for love
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Boris Roessler / dpa
The higher regional court (OLG) in Frankfurt am Main has sentenced a 32-year-old German returnees to four years in prison.
The court found, among other things, the membership of Kim Teresa A. in a foreign terrorist organization as proven.
The 32-year-old left for Syria with her then-husband in 2014 to join the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS).
In their verdict, the judges went beyond the prosecutor's office's request for three years and three months in prison.
The defense had demanded a much lower sentence without specifying a specific sentence.
In her plea she had drawn the picture of a woman who followed her husband into the caliphate.
A. was defended by the left-wing politician Gregor Gysi, among others.
In its decision, the State Security Senate announced that in the years after 2009, Kim Teresa A. had acquired a "solid Islamist-fundamentalist stance".
"She did not travel to Syria in 2014 out of love for her husband," said the presiding judge, Christoph Koller.
Rather, she wanted to help consolidate IS rule on the ground.
A. learned how to use assault rifles
In addition, Kim Teresa A., who converted to Islam in 2009, had contacts with the Islamist scene in Germany before she left the territory under IS rule and was well networked there.
She had a corresponding influence on her husband, whom she met in Germany and married in 2013 according to the Islamic rite.
In Syria, she by no means only looked after her husband, but ran a chat group with other women for IS sympathizers in Germany who were also considering emigrating to Syria.
She also learned how to use an assault rifle and a Kalashnikov from her husband and had the weapons with her that were always loaded.
The verdict stated that she had set out "voluntarily and on her own initiative" to help build an Islamic state.
In Syria, she followed her husband to his respective locations and supported his fighting.
The couple lived off the services of the terrorist organization, according to the court.
Credible repentance
The court assessed the fact that A. voluntarily broke away from IS and published information as mitigating.
In her appearance in court, she credibly showed remorse, even if she downplayed her own role.
With their verdict, the judges largely confirmed the individual points of the indictment.
According to this, A. had made himself liable not only for membership in the terrorist organization, but also for war crimes against property and for violating the War Weapons Control Act.
The judgment is not yet final - a request for revision is expected.
Case number: 5 - 2 OJs 29/20 - 1/21
ptz / dpa