Lecture: The First RAF Trial in Stammheim 1975-1977

With Dr. Sabrina Müller (House of History Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart) The first RAF trial in Stammheim 1975 - 1977 On May 21, 1975, one of the most spectacular criminal trials in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany began in Stuttgart-Stammheim. The occasion was six bomb attacks by the terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF) in May 1972, which resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to over 50 others. The trial against Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, Ulrike Meinhof, and Jan-Carl Raspe took place in a specially constructed building and remains a media event to this day. "Finale in the Fortress Stammheim" was the headline used by the press at the start of the trial. The lecture highlights how the defendants used the courtroom as a stage for their political messages and what positions were held by the defense attorneys, the prosecution, and the 2nd Criminal Senate of the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court. Why did "Stammheim" become a cipher for the state's confrontation with the RAF? Did the trial violate the principles of the rule of law?