Inside the Alaa M. Trial #17: The Doctor
Higher Regional Court – Frankfurt, Germany
Trial Monitoring Summary #17
Hearing Dates: July 11, 12 & 14 2022
CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture.
Note that this is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.
SJAC’s 17th trial monitoring report details days 23, 24 & 25 of the trial of Alaa M. in Frankfurt, Germany. The Judges continued their thorough questioning of the second victim-witness in this trial, spanning three more days. Their questions focused on what the witness directly experienced during his detention at the Military Hospital. The witness told the Court about his encounters with the defendant who, according to the witness, was violent toward the detained patients and even killed one of them. The three-day questioning was visibly exhausting for the witness and was thus paused to be continued on at least one more trial day.
Highlights:
Day 23 – July 11, 2022
After another Covid-related trial break, the Judges’ questioning of the second victim-witness in the trial continued. Their detailed questions focused on an incident in which a fellow detainee was allegedly killed by Alaa M., according to the witness. With their questions, the Judges also tried to resolve some discrepancies between the witness’s previous police questioning and his in-court testimony.
Day 24 – July 12, 2022
After continuing their questioning of the witness for another day with several follow-up questions, the Judges announced that the witness will likely have to continue his in-court testimony for at least two more days.
Day 25 – July 14, 2022
As announced on the previous day, the Judges’ questioning of the victim-witness continued. The witness told the Court about nightmares he has about what he witnessed at the Military Hospital, due to the recent questioning. The witness also raised concerns about mentioning the names of fellow detainees in court because he does not want to put them in danger. As the witness was visibly exhausted, the session was ended early.
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