Jena, 02.04.2026 – In the second trial involving the right-wing extremist martial arts group “Knockout 51,” the Higher Regional Court (OLG) Jena has delivered its verdicts. Three men received prison and probationary sentences for membership in and support of a criminal organization.
- Trial Location: Oberlandesgericht Jena
- Defendants: Three right-wing extremists (aged 27, 35, and 44)
- Verdicts: 2 years and 9 months imprisonment (main defendant); probationary sentences of 2 years and 1 year and 2 months for the co-defendants
- Classification of the Group: Criminal organization
Ready for Violence, but Not Terrorists
According to the conviction of the chamber under presiding judge Matthias Blaszczak, “Knockout 51” was not merely a martial arts club, but the tool of a political strategy. The group, founded in Eisenach, was designed for acts of violence from the outset and attempted to establish a so-called “Nazi-Kiez” (Nazi neighborhood) as a local regulatory force in Westthüringen. Nevertheless, the court classified the group “only” as a criminal and not a terrorist organization, deviating from the demand of the Federal Prosecutor General. The court stated in its reasoning that the men’s goal was not to murder people. The Federal Court of Justice had also supported this assessment in the past.
The Federal Prosecution had originally requested prison sentences between three and five years. The defense, on the other hand, pleaded for acquittal. The verdict is not yet legally binding. In a first proceeding, four leading members of the group had already been sentenced to prison terms.
Criticism of the Leniency of the Verdict
The decision of the OLG Jena drew significant criticism from observers and politicians. A spokesperson for the democracy consultants of the association Mobit described the verdict as inappropriate given the nationwide significance and militant presence of the group in Eisenach. Katharina König-Preuss, the domestic policy spokesperson for the Left Party (Die Linke), also spoke of a further downplaying of the massive neo-Nazi violence emanating from “Knockout 51.” She called on the Thüringer Innenministerium to issue an official ban on the group.
Background: The Oberlandesgericht Jena
The Thüringer Oberlandesgericht (OLG), based in Jena, is the highest court of ordinary jurisdiction in the Free State. State security proceedings and trials against criminal organizations of statewide importance are regularly heard here. In high-profile trials such as the one involving “Knockout 51,” increased security levels apply in and around the court building at Rathenaublick. This can occasionally lead to a massive police presence and temporary traffic restrictions in the adjacent residential and administrative district on trial days.
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“Knockout 51”: Court imposes prison and probationary sentences
Transparency Note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.