Dresden court releases several defendants in Saxon Separatists trial

The Higher Regional Court in Dresden has lifted arrest warrants for several defendants in the trial of the so-called “Saxon Separatists.” Four of the eight accused individuals were released from pre-trial detention on Thursday. Among those released are Kevin R., Norman T., and Hans-Georg P., while a fourth defendant, Kurt Hättasch, was released upon posting a 20,000 Euro bail.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office had accused the group of forming a terrorist organization intended to establish an “ethnically cleansed” National Socialist state through paramilitary activities in eastern Germany. However, the court indicated that for some defendants, the suspicion of the crime is “no longer fully established to the extent of the accusation,” while for another, the duration of detention was deemed “disproportionate.”

Kurt Hättasch, an AfD politician and former treasurer of the Junge Alternative organization, was among those released. The court's decision to reduce charges and release several defendants has led to debates regarding the proportionality of the initial investigation and the severity of the allegations.