NationStates Jolt Archive

Nearly 24 years ago, several terrorists that had been active in Germany were arrested and sentenced to life in prison. Now that 24 years are up, German legislation provides the opportunity for one of them, Brigitte Mohnhaupt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Mohnhaupt), to be released on parole.

Mohnhaupt was a member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction), a terrorist group that sought to overthrow the West German government and pave the way for a communist regime. The actions perpetrated by Mohnhaupt's generation of RAF terrorists included the kidnapping and/or killing of representatives of the West German state or it's capitalist structure. She was also involved in the assassination attempt on US General Kroesen. In the end, she received five life sentences for her part in the RAF hierarchy and the German Autumn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Autumn).

She's now 57 years old and has been in prison longer than any other RAF terrorist.

The question is, can she be released? The condition that needs to be met for her release is that she won't engage in criminal activity again. She did this once before when she was incarcerated for being a member of the RAF in her earlier days. However, there is no East German state around anymore and no ideological allies. With the end of the cold war, she no longer has any reason to continue terrorist activities. The RAF disolved itself formally in 1998.

Can she be released?

No reason, that's true, but she also might be mentally unstable and might start committing those crimes again regardless of the existence of the DDR; I'd release her only if she was shown to be completely mentally sound and clearly committed to not engaging in criminal activity again.

Sure, why not. I mean Astrid Proll and Irmgard Möller are free women. I've heard that apart from the whole Baader-Meinhof thing Proll was a pretty cool cat. Especially as she fled to the UK and used the disguise of working as a park worker in my local park.

And it's not as if the Red Army Faction would ever be remade again. Baader, Meinhof and Ensslin are all long dead.

edit: I always get Red Army Faction and Red Action confused. Most of you will probably not have heard of Red Action, but I had to be evacuated from my home in London in 1993. They found 22lb of semtex in a nearby house. Good times.

Nearly 24 years ago, several terrorists that had been active in Germany were arrested and sentenced to life in prison. Now that 24 years are up, German legislation provides the opportunity for one of them, Brigitte Mohnhaupt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Mohnhaupt), to be released on parole.

Mohnhaupt was a member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction), a terrorist group that sought to overthrow the West German government and pave the way for a communist regime. The actions perpetrated by Mohnhaupt's generation of RAF terrorists included the kidnapping and/or killing of representatives of the West German state or it's capitalist structure. She was also involved in the assassination attempt on US General Kroesen. In the end, she received five life sentences for her part in the RAF hierarchy and the German Autumn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Autumn).

She's now 57 years old and has been in prison longer than any other RAF terrorist.

The question is, can she be released? The condition that needs to be met for her release is that she won't engage in criminal activity again. She did this once before when she was incarcerated for being a member of the RAF in her earlier days. However, there is no East German state around anymore and no ideological allies. With the end of the cold war, she no longer has any reason to continue terrorist activities. The RAF disolved itself formally in 1998.

Can she be released?

of course she can be released why not?...we had 3 terrorists in Canada all convicted for kidnapping and murder, all three were parole after 10 and 20yr prison terms and have returned to normal lives...the difference between Canada and many other countries is we don't treat them as terrorists but as criminals...

I don't think an ideologically motivated criminal will ever learn his or her lesson by being sent to jail, so the only reason to keep her there is to protect other people.

But as you said, she's an old lady now with no connections and no supporters. She poses a negligible threat (especially since you can bet your sweet ass that the Verfassungschutz is gonna keep an eye or two on her for the rest of her life), so I don't see why she shouldn't be released.

I don't think an ideologically motivated criminal will ever learn his or her lesson by being sent to jail, so the only reason to keep her there is to protect other people.

But as you said, she's an old lady now with no connections and no supporters. She poses a negligible threat (especially since you can bet your sweet ass that the Verfassungschutz is gonna keep an eye or two on her for the rest of her life), so I don't see why she shouldn't be released.

That's how I feel; if she were younger or if the DDR were still around, I wouldn't let her go, but given that there is no longer any kind of support network for her cause and she's already nearly 60 years old, there's no reason to keep her in prison.

Of course, like any terrorist, she should be monitored just to make sure.

An old lady with allegiance to a long dead state and a party of long-dead comrades... I don't think she poses any kind of threat.

She was involved in killings, so I don't see how the passage of time or changing political situation should make a difference. It doesn't alter her crimes. I think she should be kept in until she dies as punishment.

She was involved in killings, so I don't see how the passage of time or changing political situation should make a difference. It doesn't alter her crimes. I think she should be kept in until she dies as punishment.

in more enlightened countries prison is used to rehabilitate criminals...politically motivated criminals are usually the most likely not to re-offend...

in more enlightened countries prison is used to rehabilitate criminals...politically motivated criminals are usually the most likely not to re-offend...
Rehabilitation is important but I think that punishment is, particularly for the worst crimes. I think some crimes are bad enough that the person who committed them doesn't deserve the chance to be rehabilitated. I think her crimes fit into that. Spending the rest of her days is the least she deserves for all the grief and suffering she's caused. After what she's done I don't see why she should ever get the chance to live free again. The only reason I'm against the death penalty in cases like this is because of miscarriages of justice.

She was involved in killings, so I don't see how the passage of time or changing political situation should make a difference. It doesn't alter her crimes. I think she should be kept in until she dies as punishment.

The simpleton-esque nature of certain "arguments" on these boards long ago stopped making me raise an eyebrow, but in this case I am brought to recall how to do it, although it too fails to illicit the actual muscle contractions needed.

Can she be released? Of course she can, why not?

24 years is much longer than a life sentence here usually is, she has paid her dues and it's rather ridiculous to assume she would become part of some "radical underground" again, not least because there isn't any.

The simpleton-esque nature of certain "arguments" on these boards long ago stopped making me raise an eyebrow, but in this case I am brought to recall how to do it, although it too fails to illicit the actual muscle contractions needed.
What can I say, I'm a simple guy! :fluffle:

What can I say, I'm a simple guy!

They do say it is bliss.

They do say it is bliss.
You should try it out yourself. From what I've seen of your posts you can be a bit snobbish, you don't seem to get enough fun out of life! Trust me, it makes life so much easier when you can dispense with the need for reasoned arguments!

You should try it out yourself. From what I've seen of your posts you can be a bit snobbish, you don't seem to get enough fun out of life!

Rest assured that what fun I pursue, I get.

Trust me, it makes life so much easier when you can dispense with the need for reasoned arguments!

I am not in the market for an easy life.

She seems to have become harmless. I say let her wander.

She was involved in killings, so I don't see how the passage of time or changing political situation should make a difference. It doesn't alter her crimes. I think she should be kept in until she dies as punishment.That's quite interesting. The son of one of the victims of the RAF doesn't harbor such sentiment. What's more, life in prison without any hope of ever coming free is considered inhumane by German law, so the possibility for her release must be there, though not guaranteed.

You failed to mention that she looked like a super model (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Brigitte_Mohnhaupt.jpg)!

All kidding aside, I wouldn't let her out, much less keep her alive.

She helped kill two men, and then almost killed another?

In my great country she would have died a long time ago.

Then again, if she has been rehabilitated I guess there's no point in keeping her in jail.

They do say it is bliss.

But then again, the dearth of happiness in the world suggests that is not the case.

I think she should be released. If she is rehabilitated, I see no reason whatsoever to keep her in prison any longer... she's done her time, and having to live in the world as it currently is will be more than enough punishment for an idealist such as her...

I don't think she should be released. The reason for this is that she never repented. And this is necessary for a murderer who is sentenced to such a punishment to be released.

She is surely no harm any more - but I don't think that she regretted anything.

So the murderers never told who actually shot Buback, something his family really wanted to know.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2317447,00.html

A link for all the people like me who want to catch up to all the people who are posting intelligently about this.

I don't see why she should not be freed. As an individual, she is mostly harmless. As a part of a team, she may be a threat. But since she is going to be watched, any team she may put together can simply be rounded up by authorities.

You failed to mention that she looked like a super model (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Brigitte_Mohnhaupt.jpg)!

She was hot, let her go.


Yes, my thought process is that simplistic.