Brutal police violence in Berlin: trial against four officers begins!

Brutal police violence in Berlin: trial against four officers begins!

The eagerly awaited trial began on Monday morning at the Tiergarten district court against four police officers who were involved in an alleged attack on the then 21-year-old Abdul M. in July 2021. The incident occurred at the Alexanderplatz station when Abdul M. asked for help with missing cash around 2 a.m. taz.de reports that Abdullah I., the police chief on duty, opened the door and initially a heated conversation ensued.

However, in the course of this conversation, a violent incident occurred: Abdullah I. is said to have hit Abdul M. with full force in the face without warning, whereupon the young man fell to the ground. The situation escalated further when several colleagues arrived and took Abdul M. to the ground. There Abdullah I is said to have repeatedly hit the man lying on the ground until he lost consciousness. He was then held for several hours without a legal basis and was previously given blood samples, the legality of which remains questionable, as rbb24.de also states.

The allegations and the reaction of the accused

In total, the four police officers are charged with assault in office, deprivation of liberty, coercion and persecution of innocent people. During the trial, the co-defendants vehemently denied the allegations and stated that the acts did not take place. The police officers stated that Abdullah I. was their colleague whose behavior was unacceptable, but without addressing the specific allegations. The question arises to what extent the allegations that an agreed procedure took place as part of the internal police investigation are correct, especially since the public prosecutor's office questions the allegations of resistance made against Abdul M. based on video recordings and witness reports taz.de.

The defendants have been suspended from duty since the indictment was made about a year and a half ago. Abdullah I. had previously voluntarily left the police department and had already been convicted of data misuse and forgery rbb24.de.

Background to police violence

In order to better understand this issue, it is important to take a look at the general situation regarding police violence. According to a study by Amnesty International, marginalized groups are particularly often affected by such attacks. There are also significant hurdles for police officers to report misconduct among colleagues, and many suspected cases are closed in advance. It turns out that in over 90% of cases where there is suspicion of police violence, the investigation is closed. Charges are only filed in 2% of cases. This leads to a profound distrust of the police amnesty-polizei.de.

The current reporting and trial take a long overdue look at the problems in the police system. It is time for structural improvements to be introduced to restore trust in law enforcement. To this end, experts are calling, among other things, for the creation of independent investigation facilities and regular anti-racism training for police officers.

The trial will continue next Monday and Abdul M. has been called as a witness. The public can look forward to the verdict, which is to be announced on the same day. It is hoped that this case will spark a broader discussion about police violence and its consequences.