If nothing else, German law can be forgiving. It’s just that some things are unforgivable.
To wit: The maximum sentence under German law for accessory to murder is 15 years. As a result, that’s what Mounir el Motassadeq got last week. He’s the Moroccan convicted of helping the Hamburg-based al-Qaida cell that planned the Sept. 11, 2001 atrocities.
Proportionally, that means el Motassadeq will serve approximately 1.5 days for each of the nearly 3,000 victims. Moreover, under German guidelines, this best buddy of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta could be released in 10 years and deported back to Morocco.
For those not too incensed and appalled to be scoring at home, that figures out to less than a day per death.