Five jailed for far-right plot to overthrow German government
Extremists linked to Reichsbürger movement also planned to kidnap health minister and create conditions for civil war
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The defendants, four men, aged 46 to 58, and a 77-year-old woman, who belonged to the self-styled “United Patriots” group, were sentenced to between five years and nine months and eight years’ jail by the Koblenz higher regional court on Thursday.
Look, I am not usually one to demand more draconic sentencing, but this seems inappropriately short. IMO, the main part of the sentence should have been to strip them of assets that could ever be again used in any revolutionary attempts.
It's a pretty normal sentence in Germany. If you consider this was only an attempt, it may make more sense to you. Also we don't do these 2 lifetime plus 50 year sentences like in the US here...
True, I'm actually German myself, and I have to admit - it was a bit of an intuitive, emotional reaction. Really: My worry is about their wealth. Even as old people, where not giving them harsh prison sentences is understandable, what's keeping them from further supporting fascists in the future? Even if they are monitored, I don't have a lot of faith in our police and the Verfassungsschutz to properly monitor flow of finances, especially when it comes to hidden gold transfers at meetups, or Monero or similar loopholes.
In Germany jail is not to lock people away for public security, we have Sicherungsverwahrung and special psychiatric hospitals for that. Jail is for rehabilitation; to change their mind and make them functioning members of society again and it works most of the time. There's a really good chance they come out fine in the end.
