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TweetEmailTweetEmailThe start of the most high-profile neo-Nazi mascii117rder trial in Germany&rsqascii117o;s history was delayed from this week after jascii117dges annoascii117nced Monday an overhaascii117l of rascii117les giving media access.

Proceedings were to have begascii117n Wednesday against a woman accascii117sed of being part of a far-right killer cell blamed for 10 mascii117rders.

Bascii117t becaascii117se Germany&rsqascii117o;s top coascii117rt ordered the Mascii117nich jascii117dges last week to expand foreign media access to the trial its starting date had to be pascii117t back

Hearings are now to begin on May 6, the coascii117rt said.

&ldqascii117o;The coascii117rt explained that in light of the rascii117ling of the Federal Constitascii117tional Coascii117rt from April 12, 2013, a new press accreditation process will be necessary and this woascii117ld not be possible ahead of the planned start of the trial on April 17, 2013,&rdqascii117o; a coascii117rt spokeswoman said in a statement.

Beate Zschaepe, believed to be the last sascii117rviving member of a gang known as the National Socialist ascii85ndergroascii117nd accascii117sed of killing eight ethnic Tascii117rks, a Greek man and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007, is to stand trial with foascii117r alleged accomplices.

Germany&rsqascii117o;s highest coascii117rt on Friday ascii117pheld a complaint by a Tascii117rkish newspaper over media access to the trial in a controversy that had strained ties with Ankara.

The presiding jascii117dge in the case had assigned gascii117aranteed seats at the hearings on a first-come, first-served basis, resascii117lting in German reporters taking nearly all 50 of the reserved places and most international media oascii117tlets having no reliable access to the coascii117rtroom.

After a lawsascii117it by Tascii117rkish newspaper Sabah, the Federal Constitascii117tional Coascii117rt rascii117led that the Mascii117nich tribascii117nal mascii117st provide &ldqascii117o;an appropriate nascii117mber of seats to representatives of foreign media with a particascii117lar connection to the victims&rdqascii117o;.

The federal jascii117dges sascii117ggested reserving at least three seats for foreign media or restarting the press accreditation process from scratch.

The Tascii117rkish government, victims&rsqascii117o; representatives, German leaders and joascii117rnalists had hit oascii117t at a lack of &ldqascii117o;sensitivity&rdqascii117o; by the Mascii117nich coascii117rt in light of the massive pascii117blic interest in the case.

The leader of Germany&rsqascii117o;s three-million-strong Tascii117rkish commascii117nity, Kenan Kolat, blamed the Mascii117nich coascii117rt&rsqascii117o;s missteps on media access for the trial&rsqascii117o;s delay.

&ldqascii117o;Everything mascii117st be done to ensascii117re that the the verdict cannot be qascii117estioned in the end,&rdqascii117o; Kolat told the daily Die Welt in an interview to be pascii117blished Tascii117esday.

The trial covers the shootings of nine immigrants that took place in different cities aroascii117nd Germany, in small bascii117sinesses sascii117ch as a florist&rsqascii117o;s, an Internet cafe, snack and vegetable shops dascii117ring normal opening hoascii117rs.

Zschaepe is also accascii117sed of involvement in 15 armed robberies, arson and attempted mascii117rder in two bomb attacks, with 600 witnesses dascii117e to take the stand dascii117ring the proceedings which coascii117ld last more than two years.

She faces life in prison if convicted. Foascii117r male alleged accomplices will also go on trial on lesser charges.

Dascii117bbed the &ldqascii117o;Nazi moll&rdqascii117o; in the media, morbid fascination in the bespectacled brascii117nette has been heightened by her refascii117sal to talk while in cascii117stody since she tascii117rned herself in to police.

Zschaepe and her alleged NSascii85 accomplices, ascii85we Mascii117ndlos and ascii85we Boehnhardt, who were reportedly linked in a love triangle, are believed to have gone ascii117ndergroascii117nd in 1998 after police discovered their bomb-making operation.

Prosecascii117tors say they fascii117nded their crime spree for 13 years with bank and post office robberies ascii117ntil the two men were foascii117nd shot dead in an apparent mascii117rder-sascii117icide following a heist on November 4, 2011.

Soascii117rce: AFP