Munich court delays neo-Nazi trial after access row

Source : The Voice of Russia

A Munich court delayed on Monday the long-awaited trial of a suspected neo-Nazi charged over a string of immigrant murders, after being ordered by a higher court to guarantee seats to media from Turkey, where most victims hailed from.

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The postponement of 38-year-old Beate Zschaepe's trial, which had been due to start on Wednesday, is the latest mishap to dog a case that has horrified Germans and exposed bungled investigations, a failure to share information, and an entrenched disregard for the far-right threat.

The Munich court had allocated 50 guaranteed seats in the small courtroom to media on a first-come-first-served basis but none went to Turkish journalists.

Turkish newspaper Sabah filed a lawsuit which the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe upheld, ruling that the Munich court must open up at least three more seats for foreign media.

"In view of the Constitutional Court ruling... a new accreditation process is necessary," Munich court spokeswoman Margarete Noetzel said in a statement.

Noetzel said she had no idea what criteria would be applied in the new process.