A COURT in Dresden has sentenced a woman to five years and three months in prison for taking part in a series of attacks on neonazis and other right-wing extremists over a period of two years.

German news agency dpa reported today that the regional court convicted Lina E, whose surname was not released due to privacy rules, of membership in a criminal organisation and causing serious bodily harm.

Prosecutors accused the student of “militant extreme-left ideology” and conceiving the idea of attacks on far-right individuals in Leipzig and nearby towns. 

Three men who were alleged to have carried out the attacks with her, Lennart A, Jannis R and Jonathan M, were sentenced to between 27 months and 39 months in prison.

Among the attacks Lina E was accused of helping orchestrate was a 2020 incident in which about 15 or 20 assailants beat a group of six people returning from a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden. 

The event regularly attracts neonazis and other far-right sympathisers. 

Prosecutors said several victims sustained serious injuries after being punched, kicked and hit with batons.

Left-wing groups had announced plans to protest against the verdict, prompting police to establish a large presence in Leipzig in anticipation of possible unrest.