Friedland,Germany - The Choice for Germany (AfD) has called for the establishment of an investigation committee regarding the death of 16-year-old Liana K., who was killed near Friedland in August. The move was swiftly rejected by both the Christian democratic Union (CDU) and the Green Party, who criticized the AfD’s motives and suggested alternative avenues for investigation.
The AfD argues that a committee of inquiry would grant the opposition crucial rights, including the ability to summon witnesses and request evidence. Establishing such a committee requires the support of at least a fifth of the 146 members of parliament. However, with only 17 mandates, the AfD would need the backing of the CDU, wich has already stated its opposition. AfD representative Wichmann offered to withdraw his party’s submission if the CDU were to initiate its own investigation committee, adding, “We would also support a green application, because this is about the matter.”
The CDU’s faction leader, Sebastian Lechner, dismissed the AfD’s request, stating, “So far, the AfD has not participated in the clarification of this terrible case with any single parliamentary instrument. We do not support the application for an committee of inquiry of the parties in large parts of the right-wing extremist party.” The CDU has rather submitted 147 questions to the state goverment and requested access to relevant files, indicating a potential future committee application dependent on the responses received.
Green Party domestic spokesman Michael Lühmann also rejected the AfD’s proposal, asserting, “An investigation committee is an crucial and serious instrument of control, but not a scene for right-wing extremist propaganda.”
The case centers around Muhammad A., a 31-year-old Iraqi national, who investigators believe caused Liana K. to step in front of a freight train on august 11th. DNA traces of the suspect were found on the victim’s shoulder. The suspect, a rejected asylum seeker diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was residing in a psychiatric clinic at the time and had previously been denied deportation by a court.Liana K. and her family fled to Germany in 2022, settling in Geisleden, Thuringia.
