Relatives Seek Closure After Killings Tied to Neo-Nazi Ring
Relatives Seek Closure After Killings Tied to Neo-Nazi Ring
By MELISSA EDDY
Published: February 22, 2012
BERLIN — At a time when the German government is seeking to demonstrate its openness to immigrants, the mishandling of a series of killings linked to a neo-Nazi terror ring has laid bare the prevalence of latent racism in the country.
The killings of eight Turkish men and one Greek took place in cities across Germany from 2000 to 2006, and while they have not been officially solved, the discovery of the suspected murder weapon in a neo-Nazi compound years later brought fresh pain to the survivors.
The missteps were exacerbated by the accusation that the victims’ families were complicit in the killings. Then they watched helplessly for years as their reputations were shattered by accusations by the authorities that the victims were linked to organized crime or drug dealers.
The German government has offered each family compensation of at least €10,000, or $13,240, using a fund to pay victims of neo-Nazi terror and Chancellor Angela Merkel was to speak Thursday at an event honoring the victims, in initial steps toward a level of respect that many say should have been shown in the first place.
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/world/europe/relatives-seek-closure-after-killings-tied-to-neo-nazi-ring.html?_r=1&ref=europe
