Turkish trio on trial for running far left terror group
Dusseldorf (dpa) - Three Turkish nationals went on trial in Germany on Thursday, accused of raising money to help finance a series of radical left-wing terrorist attacks in Turkey.
The high-security wing of the Dusseldorf court was filled with spectators, who clapped and shouted out rallying cries as the trial opened.
The two men and a woman face sentences of up to 15 years, for alleged membership of the DHKP-C, a radical Marxist-Leninist group that has mounted bomb attacks in pursuit of its goal of overthrowing Turkey′s government.
Defence lawyers called for the trial to be postponed until the European Court of Justice had answered legal questions relating to the case.
They also called for the accused to be released from pre-trial custody, after they were apprehended 16 months ago. Hearings at the European court are to start on May 12.
The accused are charged with having collected more than a million euros (1.4 million dollars) over the years to finance the group′s "armed conflict" in Turkey.
State prosecutors allege that the woman, aged 34, is the head of DHKP-C′s German and European operations. She could face additional sentencing as the group′s ringleader.
The DHKP-C, or Revolutionary People′s Liberation Party-Front, has mounted a series of bomb attacks in Turkey and also used suicide bombers in a bid to overthrow the state and establish a communist system. dpa hm ms