By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) - Convicted neo-Nazi terrorist Beate Zschaepe expressed shame Wednesday over her role in a decade-long murder campaign but offered little information about the NSU terrorist cell's ties to other far-right groups.
Zschaepe, who is serving a life sentence, appeared in person at the Higher Regional Court in Dresden for the trial of her friend Susann Eminger, who is accused of supporting the NSU terrorist group and aiding robbery and extortion.
At the beginning of her testimony, Zschaepe told the court that she fully accepts her 2018 conviction. However, she claimed she was not directly involved in the group's murders and did not consider the bank robberies serious.
“I feel shame now. I am ashamed,” the 50-year-old told the court. "I know that none of this is always logical. Our whole life hasn't been logical. I'm ashamed of how we had to react and that no one asked any questions. There was also a huge amount of ignorance involved,” she said.
The convicted terrorist acknowledged using identity documents belonging to Susann Eminger while living underground with NSU members Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Bohnhardt between 1998 and 2011. Zschaepe told the court that she used these documents for travel and doctor appointments.
When asked about Susann Eminger's knowledge of the group's crimes, Zschaepe said she had learned about the bank robberies through her husband, Andre Eminger, who was closer to Mundlos. "Susann found out through Andre, as I remember," she said.
Zschaepe's testimony marked a notable shift from her conduct during her own trial between 2013 and 2018. At that time, she remained silent throughout the proceedings, refused to cooperate with investigators, and showed no remorse for the crimes. She is currently serving a life sentence at Chemnitz women's prison.
Earlier this year, German authorities accepted her into the EXIT rehabilitation program for former extremists. Successful completion of the program, which requires participants to renounce extremist ideology and demonstrate genuine remorse, could influence future parole considerations.
In October, a petition opposing Beate Zschaepe's potential early release gathered more than 150,000 signatures. Family members of NSU victims say Zschaepe has not shown sincere remorse and has failed to provide investigators with information about the murders, the terror group's wider support network, and potential ties to informants or security service officers.
-NSU's racist murders
Between 2000 and 2007, the NSU murdered 10 people—eight Turkish immigrants, one Greek citizen, and one policewoman—while conducting bombings and robberies throughout Germany.
The German public first learned of the NSU’s existence and its role in the murders on Nov. 4, 2011, when two members of the group, Mundlos and Bohnhardt, committed suicide after an unsuccessful bank robbery.
The police found evidence in their apartment showing they were behind the murders.
Until 2011, Germany's police and intelligence services dismissed any racial motive for the murders and instead treated immigrant families as suspects with connections to mafia groups and drug traffickers.
Recent media revelations have shown that the country’s domestic intelligence agency BfV and its local branches had dozens of informants who had contacts with the NSU suspects in the past. But officials insisted that they had no prior information about the existence of the NSU terror cell or its role behind the killings.
The NSU scandal has initiated a broader discussion in Germany regarding institutional racism and the shortcomings of German security and intelligence organizations, which have faced criticism for underestimating the threat posed by far-right extremism.