Today, March 5th, the district court of Magdeburg has announced its intention to close the criminal case against the cop Andreas Schubert, who was reportedly involved in the murder of the detainee Oury Jalloh in 2005. Oury, a 36-year-old refugee from Sierra Leone, was burned alive on January 7th, 2005, in a cell inside a police station of Dessau, tied with handcuffs to a fire-proof mattress at his hands and feet. The cause of death was officially recorded as heat shock, but solidarity initiatives pursued a legal case against the Dessau police.
Now, the judicial authorities seek to order the aforementioned cop just to pay a fee, and after that all potential ways for a new hearing will be closed. This means that the process will be terminated prematurely, and the Oury Jalloh case will forever put on file.
There is a call for protests for tomorrow, March 6th, at the District Court of Magdeburg. Also, the Initiative in Memory of Oury Jalloh has called for a rally on March 13th, before the same court.
sources: 1, 2 / you may also read: 1, 2
Update, March 6th
The lawyer of Oury Jalloh’s family applied for the removal of the chief judge, the co-chair judges and the sworn body of citizens (two jurors) due to prejudice. After a 6hour of interruption, the trial was adjourned for March 13th. Now, all sides have time until March 12th to provide their statements, and the decision will follow.
The vigil and picket in remembrance of Oury Jalloh was disturbed by cops. The excessive police presence blocked the entrance of the court and used barriers. The protesters were forced to stand on the opposite side of the street, where they had to protest behind barriers. The cops also tried to constrict music and speeches. After it was clear that the process was adjourned, the protesters spontaneously marched through the centre of Magdeburg, breaking the silence on the case and demanding an end to B*rutality, R*epression, D*eportation (BRD stands for Bundesrepublik Deutschland).
Protest rally on March 13th at the District Court of Magdeburg