Right-wing extremism: judicial employees are banned from entering the prison

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Judicial officer (icon image)

Photo: Peter Gercke / dpa

In Saxony-Anhalt, an employee of the prison service is no longer allowed to enter her workplace because of suspected right-wing extremism.

The young woman was forbidden to conduct her official business on Monday, a spokesman for the state Ministry of Justice told SPIEGEL.

An official examination was initiated because "considerable doubts as to the suitability of the candidate could exist".

The day before it had become known that the trainee apparently maintains close contacts with the right-wing scene.

The woman’s posts on Instagram, among other things, should prove this.

As a result, she was close to the Thuringian neo-Nazi Tommy Frenck, as well as to the right-wing "citizens' network one percent" and the "Identitarian Movement".

Questionable photos on Instagram

Photos show the woman in clothing on which an imperial eagle and the words "Division Ostdeutschland" can be seen.

She is also said to have posted pictures of weapons online and raised the question of whether there was ever a gunman in the Bundestag.

The woman began her training in the state's prison service in August last year - two months before a stricter admissions procedure was established there: Since October, the authorities have had all prospective candidates for the general prison service checked by a regular query with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

Whether the trainee will lose her job permanently will only be clear after the end of the disciplinary proceedings, as the Ministry of Justice announced: "The conclusion of further official investigations and steps remains to be seen." The matter should also be discussed in the next meeting of the legal committee in the state parliament.

mxw