Starting october twenty fifth on d w. Im present nine hundred seventy five the leaders of the Red Army Faction terrorist group were on trial. And put says my generation was on trial today in that video good to where they revolutionaries kilis the trial divided the country. Let him be short of luke elsies. There were only two colors black and white stripes and vice there were confrontations in the courtroom as well. Made me often enough for the its not a make you have any out of not me beauty. For it wasnt easy for the judges just in case germany was in turmoil how could justice be served in the shadow of terrorism. As funny it was oppressive i was completely worn out. The defendants were sentenced to life in prison and day when the only ones. Victory prison in one thousand nine hundred eighty four a few weeks before the start of the trial our f. Member holga minds had been on a Hunger Strike for two months he wanted to be moved to the same prison as the other members of the group he called his lawyers. It was still medium he was already so weak and he may see ated that i have to put my ear close to his mouth to understand him with. He said please make sure that they move me to shun time as soon as possible. So which country it was right before the weekend by the high tide of forty one and. Minds as lawyers notify judge or printing who is presiding over they are after printing called the prison in victory. Kind of a decisive and thats no one told me that he was on his deathbed he was still Walking Around no doctor was attending him and he wasnt considered at risk that hes our hero but only he. That same night november the ninth the lawyers and relatives of the aria of prisoners held a solidarity event. They wanted the inmates strict prison conditions to be relaxed the judges dont gabriella printing also attended it was a total i sympathized with the Red Army Faction at the time they had the courage to go beyond philosophy and debate. They took action. Until. The gathering was interrupted by some bad news i thought i might as died. Yeah. The situation became tense right away and he saw a few days he could feel here and everyone stood up. And have it was and i was shaking because i knew that when they said murderer they meant my father and we decided right away to go to the judges home and protest and so on and on porters. Printings address was listed in stuart gods Telephone Directory his daughter called to warn him. That wouldnt if they stood down there and called out murderer there were two hundred or three hundred people at the house we had two Police Officers armed with submachine guns ready to fire after the demonstrators left but that was only the beginning. Here toward for the death of hologram mines also stepped up the pressure on the court system. And on the judge can sing for that yeah and the aria have set its sights on the judge. There can. Never forget those events on the one hand i feared for my fathers life and i didnt want anything to happen to him. But i could also understand the outrage over the death of holcomb i. Dont see why she was on the far left politically like most students at the time. This generation had been shaped by the German Student Movement of one nine hundred sixty eight and they wanted change students demonstrated against the state the author of his and germanys nazi past. We wanted to change things we didnt want to see fascism or nazi isnt ever again that was the main thing. And. The street battles of nine hundred sixty eight had a profound impact on an entire generation of young people some saw violence as the only real way to achieve change. That included holger minds a student at the time mines joined an underground group called the Red Army Faction its founders and various bought and goodwin enslin planned to use terrorist attacks to create the foundation for an anti imperialist revolution journalist were mindful of also joined the group. In one thousand nine hundred seventy two they already have carried out a series of deadly bombings including some aimed at u. S. Troops in west germany it was a protest against the war in vietnam but by our mind it was widely known that the u. S. Forces stationed here played an Important Role in the criminal war in vietnam worth. In vietnam but four people were killed and fifty others were wounded in the attacks many who had sympathized with bad and my hope were horrified by the increase in violence but the anti were protests brought together they are a. F. And leftist groups in west germany. Vite in some people including intellectuals artists Students University students and staff felt a Certain Affinity with the r. A. F. In truth and. In june one thousand nine hundred seventy two police camps had three key arre of members at a warehouse in frankfurt or the mines young and under various bada. Who enslin and when we can mind who were arrested soon afterwards. Thats the talks and there was a major contradiction with the r. A. F. And that trial and all that. They had the most impact and post the greatest threat one still leaders have been put behind bars. And. The r. A. F. Defendants were sent to shut down the home prison in stuttgart a special Court Facility was built on the prison grounds at a cost of twelve million monks it was a unique development in west german history the judge hearing the case was an experienced legal scholar and the form of a remark left on a. For the next in this case will follow strict legal procedures we will ensure that the rights of the accused are guaranteed. It up and off. The court will not allow those rights to be abused by either side. At first three lawyers had a normal and informal relationship with the judge for comfort or threat knows who they wish to how did you hopeful that is i had hoped that given my courtroom experience i would at least be able to impose a sense of order on the proceedings. And your shuffling kind of hands on snow. In late one thousand nine hundred seventy four the area of prisoners were transferred to. The trial against enslin hospital Baader Meinhof and mines was to start there in a few weeks the charges against them included four counts of murder the group had already claimed responsibility for the killings the defendants faced life in prison and they decided to use Hunger Strikes to protest the strict prison conditions that the author of his and imposed on them. It was the First Time Since one thousand nine hundred five that prisoners had used their own bodies as a weapon it was a huge step because it could end in their deaths as it did with hunger months. Minds his death was a disaster for the Justice System the author orators were now in the dock and the Red Army Faction had its first martyr. And the fight continues. There were accusations that mines lawyers were deliberately complicit in his death and that they were simply trying to stir things up before the trial started. For the aryans lawyers particularly close quote this was much more than just another trial. I had always had a Strong Social conscience. But over time of course his support for groups like the r. A. F. Got him into trouble. In december nine hundred seventy for quite some arranged for french philosopher john paul sounds good to visit and various bought in charm hime. Reminding him there was some opposition among the other judges but it was my decision alone and i was comfortable with it i wanted people to see that we werent trying to isolate the defendants from the public. Side to a mistakenly believe that the spartan of visitors room was actually barred us out there was a huge controversy and santa raised claims of psychological torture like. The neon light is on all the time they only switch it off at eleven pm for him and not at all for the other inmates. Afterwards already have sympathizers formed and tortured groups to support the prisoners some even demanded their liberation. The second r. A. F. Generation was recruited mostly from these groups. Struck home april nine hundred seventy five six Second Generation r. T. F. Members known as the hold the mines command took hostages in the German Embassy they demanded the release of the sham home prisoners to embassy employees were killed that night explosives at the hostage takers had brought with them blew up winning all of the attackers. Prisoners found out about the incident despite strict security measures and the news broke that the siege had ended a crowd gathered outside the prison. Lets him out and hang on. I agree. Shoot him. An eye for an eye. Lynch law instead of a fair trial as long as they are enough leaders were in prison the terrorist attacks would continue. They didnt come things down a toll on the contrary it made the situation even worse discounting must fail by guitar the trial started on may the twenty first nine hundred seventy five. Foreign journalists now a lot of foreign journalists were there reporters from a number of countries came to hime the mood was tense there were police on horseback in Armored Vehicles and in a helicopter. It was the biggest terrorist trial in west german history some of the spectators supported the our air. Meaningful to im here for the trial because of bada the whole Red Army Faction and the goldstone that was yelling. To sing the national. A sixteen year old student from stuttgart was also there and was filed was a member of a christian democrat youth group you know me as a city official told me that if the government had a file on me i shouldnt go if i wanted to get ahead in my career. Gay down here in your thought is camp to particularly close out on the sympathizers. Many school and University Students and teachers were suspected of supporting the r. F. There was a lot of suspicion on both sides many of the sympathizers believed the state could not guarantee a free trial. And there was another Hunger Strike. When the defendants appeared in court for the first time they seemed to be in poor health. Their weight is a concern. And i think it weighs around forty eight kilograms. And strain forty to well over my no forty and a half and bought a waist fifty kilos and. Thats the defendants had such a high public profile that bother could say if we go on a Hunger Strike the entire country pays attention when. The guns are appropriate. The judges daughter gabriella joined a solidarity committee. Move on and we did things like that all the time if it involved the r. A. F. I was in no. Bunch of the defendants were ruled unfit to stand trial the trial could be suspended judged prince ing suspected that this was the reason behind the Hunger Strike yes. That when other defendants whites accurate how did this happen from a medical perspective is it possible that the defendant sorry tension in the losing weight and convincing me. By feeling. About the fantasies of his making for didnt just happen. But laws were no on the books that allowed trials to take place without the defendants being present that was no coincidence. Just fifty other countries the civil side its been forty years now so i can speak openly. But. I think the court knew that the defendants would continue their Hunger Strike to the point where they no longer be fit to stand trial. This hard to send out boy captain tut so there would have been no point to even start the trial. What kind seen how thats not meeting one for. If i had known then not some judges were pushing for this change in the law here an idea thats given five hundred and it would have been another reason for me to suspect bias. Or didnt he was autistic have hung tried convincing the new law was apparently initiated in part by the court itself also limited the rights of the defense lawyers the court accused Hans Christian of supporting the r. F. And took him off the defense team close course song and court good of all to also remove. That prompted a lot of criticism from other countries you know political trial the defense lawyers are often taken off the case now happens everywhere. They are of lawyers were outraged. If you know the social defense team has been gutted three of them found and lawyers have been removed just before the start of the trial or you know there is no defense team anymore. Or two sheely who dont ensigns lawyer took a combative stance. Now for the its not like make you have any outrage let me out of the. Bit i mean if i was in it and i was invited. Its not. The outreach. You know its been a very important as every morning when we walked into court we experienced a wave of aggression and hostility and even hatred has. Barred at these colleagues use the trial as a political platform. They were very confident they were articulate and eloquent and made it quite clear that they had no intention of participating in a regular trial. They wanted to politicize it from the very start and put this point forward and put it in. The top four first thought he. Went on and on for farm funk. Only thing came to the island. Look if you know about it thats. Not a spot i just want to see and sold and. They spoke out against the vietnam war you could say that they did so improperly but they have a right to speak and thats the nature of a trial like this hes an so whats this is not really. Of course you could understand why plan saying and the other judges were upset that defendants lashed out trying to insult them but if one told judge brinn singh to shut up. I dont know what fights me to give i dont feel privileged it definitely wasnt easy for the judges but i wasnt on their side i was on the other side we have to set. At press conferences the law is focused on the defendants political philosophy thats good each time the court has rejected an investigation into the extent to which the west germany government was involved in the criminal us war of aggression against vietnam in vietnam for. The goal was to use the trial to attack the Justice System states the insulter thats how different im but i think its nonsense to claim that anyone was to be humiliated or made a victim the balance of power was quite different back then. And if god is god. And in that way yeah. But then man is he been the one who had come and hes a tease if you listen to the tapes youll see that it wasnt the defendants who were aggressive toward the judges. It was the lawyers. And their shaft the defense lawyers stalled the trial by constantly raising accusations that judge brinn singh was biased there were divisions between arre of supporters and opponents and not just in the courtroom. In the us you know tightening our Student Newspaper covered the trial so the School Officials banned it then we sold it in front of the school we painted a red line on the ground and said this is where germanys democracy ends the f. Our sport obvious you know there was so much polarization and hostility back then extreme case president the trial outraged many average citizens. How they need tougher jail conditions and worse food. They havent eaten in weeks. Theyre too lazy that its too. So much for them. Listen let me the third reich is gone. I hope itll come back. Because i mean until i have folders full of mail that include slanderous remarks and Death Threats but instead say things like how can your defense nerd or is lying not. Good for the i mean of the worst case was when someone sent me a bullet and a letter that said this is a death sentence made im glad believe its time tortoise or time theater director klaus primer was also accused of being an area of sympathizer crime and had supported a from raising efforts so that goodwin enslin could have some dental work done. I came back from holiday and saw myself on the cover of the billet newspaper you know this man funds the underground heineman donates ten thousand marks i broke out in a cold sweat the article generated a negative response to say the least. And fourteen in detain someone should smash your teeth and you jerk have you no sense of decency you swine. And in your scumbag youll be next you should be gassed preferably with chlorine or fostering best maclow up with a fast game. Therefore it is knew that as long as the ari of leaders remained in jail there would likely be more terrorist attacks Police Stepped up the search for possible accomplices the Port Authority hoped to buy fuel in assem vault where i live now police shot and killed a man from scotland because they thought he was linked to the raf. I mean bottom line of it was terrible. For by. The public pressure brought the defendants and the lawyers closer together under as bad a demanded that the attorneys adopt the aria of scientology and recruit new supporters house correspondent. Is that its those are unfortunately germanys factious tradition continues as before when it often is the codes and the defense lawyers battle to win Public Opinion in the one nine hundred seventy s. Germanys nazi past was still a major discussion topic and it came up at the trial. There were groups of agitators it was incredible the defendants and their lawyers contributed a lot to that during the trial. To consideration by it or escaped there is a notion among leftist groups and the r. A. F. Which is part of the left that they are dealing with a fascist system here in west germany if. Thats money its made and its run by former perpetrators later tonight in mali. Now before the socket a defense lawyer claimed that one of the judges had a nazi background and said this was a scandal. Is the symbolic quote going on and. Make america heil knocked up wincing he did a supporter. It was clear to us that the. Judicial systems was full of people who had participated in a nazi regime. And what you saw. Of them as you went up the chain of command. But the claims were unfounded apprenticing was never a nazi judge in fact prince in convicted several defendants on charges of war crimes including those involved in the massacre of a number of polish academics and their families in laval of one thousand nine hundred forty one. So printing actually worked to bring former nazis to justice. If i wasnt aware of his previous rulings. In the first year of the trial alone the lawyers filed forty five complaints of bias against judge printing others criticised him too as well the only the focus was always on him. The criticism was quite severe at times. Every day from all sides with cole and at the time no other judge attracted so Much NegativeMedia Attention these constant attacks on the competence of the judges certainly complicated the situation at the trial. Thirty on a much unofficial importance as a stock not so im playing and i was there for you they dont have x. Invite. Spearmint thanks stably he wont get. Back on the i pod and spear me to take start yelling stuff that was a vendetta vital indecent tone of. The Defense Attorneys filed a motion. And then said that their client wanted to confirm this motion personally of hope to get out from new haven but you never appeared in court. Instead the lawyers criticized German Society and outlined their revolutionary philosophy and. I was im very high as lawyers it was our job to defend our clients and their rights. D. M. Attached to it or if they wanted to Say Something but couldnt then it was up to us to do it. Justice to that. And surely felt that they had to do more than just follow that clients orders. But other defense lawyers who identified with the r. A. F. Secretly smuggled messages various kinds of equipment and even weapons into the prison. Just the problem was that there were some defense lawyers who had actually joined the Red Army Faction. F. X. Make the darkest person buggy to more hoped for a f m m a billy get to mourn how one said the quest solo of firsts in stuttgart with cross miller valor and is the official home of the Red Army Faction. He gained five. Might hold for enslin lead the r. A. F. Even while they were in prison. They kept in touch through smuggled messages and by korea. And some lawyers set up a messaging system that the r. T. F. Itself late to use. And thats because it was not used as it was intended for the info system was quite harmless it was meant to be used by the defense team and by our clients. I mean since they were facing long prison sentences. For the. Later the author of this relaxed some of the prisoners jail conditions. And didnt come through the entire seventh floor belongs to them and theyre allowed to be together when the doors are open during the day and they all have a t. V. And all sorts of conveniences and so on they have a lot of outside support so theyre allowed to read. But can we show all that you know. And on the third on the well its got up and demand some is impressive. Now if sim. The r. A. F. Sympathizers and the state both wanted to portray this prison as really tough maybe even extreme rubio as the sympathizers wanted to show that the state was definitely protel fascist if not already fascist under State Government wanted to make it clear that the prison was definitely not a hotel and you need me sometimes when under this kind whatever its all the trial turn they already have into a Political Force and the defendants reminded the court of this at every turn for all my notice you have been making i see choice on benghazi not a vacation i was just wasnt having most of it and i was on the. First the gaps the black slave believed that you dont talk to class enemies like representatives of the judicial system you shoot them when. The arias combat reserves consisted of around a hundred hardcore supporters. To open saying it was now one of the groups top targets. People would show you how shes got a decade and the police gave us code words to use if we were kidnapped to prove our identity and walk north of the he gets all purple so as a say in. A specific group had planned an assassination. His car was to be blown up with him and. Theyd already planned the route and the day and intact. But the attack on put in seeing never took place or removed to detonate a failed the army have had tried once before to kill a judge in one nine hundred seventy two volts going bad and bad only just avoided being assassinated his wife was badly wounded they are of trial dominated judge brinn singhs private life. And palin actually fought all the time. We argued and debated and perhaps i used the r f to get a rise out of my father once in a while. To. The storm haim prisoners and their sympathizers shared the same set of rules. Discovered northpoint of the fighters has been you were either friend or foe if you deviated from the political line or if you had questions or doubts you were out they threatened you to beat and then they tossed you out to straighten up the show even harder and ensuing put pressure on the good mind of who was psychologically stable during the trial mind of seemed to make a cry for help. Your dog a fungus in used. Im going to im going on that is void thats as unfair and. You kind of as another thought you are. Absolute you know. What i know is this man. And i got the same kind of pattern and the stomach sneeze first and i didnt understand that word at the time the defendant said a lot that you couldnt understand when you were stunned when i saw how mind of went out on the stroke of the concrete wall with a hand that. I almost felt like crying that first line. In wake of mind of hanged herself in her cell made the ninth one thousand nine hundred seventy six. The r. A. F. Now had a second maga after the whole of the mines i said i had lunch with my father and i was really upset about meinhof. My attitude was like how could you couldnt. Already have supporters were convinced that my hope was murdered but the trial continued without interruption my dos name was simply removed from the list of defend. Going out on porch discovering new laws then the defendants demanded a break in the trial. So that they could properly grieve for mine. But we knew from material taken from the jail cells that her colleagues put such pressure on her that she was driven into this unfortunate situation and get there and. So he can mislead his into us on some people believe that they are of needed martyrs like mind of and that the state had no intention of conducting a fair trial they thought that the governments goal was to destroy the r. F. I was torn between the two sides i could see things from the judges point of view even though i identified more with the defendants sometimes i switched sides from one moment to the next it was a complete madhouse. Has been here and the courtroom proceedings also took a toll on judge prince ings nerves he hadnt expected a trial like this. I dont think he was quite up to the challenge you couldnt impose a workable structure that was difficult with those defendants and their attorneys and still the judge has to impose some structure on a drug thats mostly for me and was about cleansing allowed himself get bogged down in the petty details and he didnt disclose who on. Us twenty made mistakes and in january nine hundred seventy seven he even considered quitting the trial. Colleagues i discussed it with a colleague the aggravation just wasnt worth it the atmosphere was oppressive i realize that the trial had taken a lot out of me. But before he could jump the defense lawyers pushed him. Then from front of the judge to your door cleansing quick the trial on january twentieth one thousand nine hundred seventy seven after the fence attorneys felt that eighty fifth complained of bias against him. I felt sorry for him but i also said thank god thats over and by princelings deputy abel hot food took his place. Told him that he often joined to see the good side of label and that was a mistake. He thought he could discuss things rationally with anyone and full name but he couldnt do that but some of the people in that courtroom acquitted him so i loitered we did convert to sneak. And he said he let the defendant speak but made it clear that he was not going to engage in extensive political debates. I think that led to a certain objectification of the trial if you can call it that. In mid march nine hundred seventy seven there was a new development your forages had violated the rules of Attorney Client privilege. Conversations between the bottom line of the rope and the lawyers were recorded as soon as that information became public the trial was adjourned at the request of the defense team. For tucked. In a state that values the rule of law the integrity of defense counsel is essential this is sec religious its criminal this trial is essentially over this city needs to move i thought it couldnt be done i seriously thought about giving up information so. On april the seventh one thousand nine hundred seventy seven an area of government shot and killed germanys attorney general sigfried. The attack took place as bluebox car was stopped at a traffic light in calls for driver was also killed the passenger later died of his wounds the murders pushed the wiretapping case off the front pages and the trial resumed the verdict was announced on april the twenty eighth. You could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom as the presiding judge spoke the defendants have been found guilty on four counts of murder numerous attempted murders bombing attacks and forming a criminal organization of the Court Sentences all three of you to life in prison and. We discussed the verdict and decided that it was correct and in maine coon please can. A person who is not a legal expert could look at this case and accept. But if you are a legal expert and youre familiar with the trial you realize that it was a disgrace and shanika vs. The trial was complicated there was the wiretapping controversy and the defendants and their lawyers kept making political speeches. Given the verdict was intended to serve justice and restore a certain level of calm to society you have lead the media here used to but the verdict had the opposite effect the remaining members of the are abstract up that campaign of domestic terrorism in september nine hundred seventy seven they kidnapped house martin shia a Business Executive and industry representative and demanded the release of the president s. You know the Palestinian Group hijacked a lot of times a passenger jet took eighty six passengers hostage and also demanded the prisoners release. A west German Federal police unit rescued the hostages on october the eighteenth and seen and rasper were found. In the prison cells. The defendants lawyers had appealed the courts verdict so technically speaking the ruling was never implemented. That is the supremes irony of this case which caused such deep divisions in west German Society. Of ty law. Back then there was sharply defined concepts of right and wrong good and bad true and false and black and white does. This only in the late one nine hundred ninety s. Did people start asking questions as coming in that annoyance go yarra when you saw it it people are more careful today weve learned that the legal system alone cant fight terrorism it also needs to be addressed politically as put it ishe you know there must be a very deliberate strategy and deescalation of thats one study of the arias trial had a profound effect on judge brinn seing me it has caused a great deal of stress in my life. He only does not even ten years later he was still having a lot of trouble with and i think like you i dont think he ever talk to anyone about it not even my mother. He worked through it on his own with here. Gabriela been saying never actively supported the r. F. But for some time after the trial she remained captivated by the organization ideology. Both in your mind if i spend fifteen years dealing with that sort of garbage i mean its so much i think like that and im often ashamed of that. I should have come to the conclusion much earlier. That although these people were human beings and had a radical and idealistic philosophy. They were still killers i mean its kind of that should have been the bottom line for me. A prude nine hundred ninety eight more than twenty years after the time i am verdict the Red Army Faction formally announced that it had dissolved itself. Its all about the moments that lie before. Its all about the story inside. Its all about George Chance to discover the world from different perspectives. Join us and speired by distinctive instagram or yours at d w stories new topics each week on instagram. When im traveling i like to be comfortable. But i also want to stay up to date on the latest news and events. And e. W. Makes that part of traveling easy thats because its available and thousands of Hotels Resorts and cruise ships worldwide. Or have you found the domain signing send us a picture that shows d w in your room you can win a great prize go to d w dot com travel quiz. This is the w. News coming to life for a. Its deadline day in catalonia and in less than two hours the regions separatist leader must agree to give up his bid for independence for face possible direct rule from spain so who will back down also coming up