The Halle regional court sentenced AfD politician Björn Höcke to a fine last week. His lawyers have filed an appeal. Now the Federal Court of Justice has to decide.
After Björn Höcke was convicted at the regional court in Halle, all three of the AfD politician’s defense lawyers filed an appeal. In addition to the other defense lawyers, lawyer Ralf Hornemann also filed an appeal, he explained when asked by the German Press Agency. Höcke was sentenced to a fine by the court because he knowingly used a banned slogan of the SA (Sturmabteilung) of the NSDAP in a speech.
Höcke’s other two lawyers, Ulrich Vosgerau and Philip Müller, had already filed an appeal last week, according to their own statements and according to the court. The verdict against the 52-year-old Thuringian AfD leader will not initially become legally binding if an appeal is lodged. Höcke had rejected the allegations against him in court until the very end. The regional court had sentenced him to 100 daily rates of 130 euros each.
The public prosecutor’s office had also announced that it would examine possible legal remedies. It was initially unclear whether she had lodged an appeal. In its final speech, the public prosecutor’s office demanded a suspended sentence of six months and a fine of 10,000 euros for Höcke. The verdict was made last Tuesday (May 14th). An appeal had to be filed within a week of the announcement.
By filing an appeal, the case now goes to the Federal Court of Justice. This checks the verdict for violations of the law – so no evidence is collected again.
Source: Stern
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