Freedom for Somalier: judgment after arson in Coswig!

Freedom for Somalier: judgment after arson in Coswig!

A fire in a refugee accommodation in Coswig, district of Wittenberg, has led to a sensational process. The 24-year-old Somalier, who was a defendant in this matter, was acquitted by the Dessau-Roßlau district court. However, the judges ordered that he was housed in a withdrawal institution. As mdr , the defendant must bear the costs of the procedure.

The fire occurred in a moment of despair of the accused who suffered from a "pathological mental disorder". This was caused by excessive alcohol consumption and cannabis use. The court found that the defendant was not concerned with the killing of other people - on the contrary: his goal was to take his own life, taking the danger to the other 16 residents in the accommodation. Fortunately, everyone could get to safety in good time, the property damage was around 20,000 euros.

an unexpected judgment

Another case from the region shows that arson is a serious problem in refugee accommodation. In December 2022, a 30-year-old man lit plastic chairs in an asylum accommodation in Bad Waldsee and caused a full fire. In this incident, more than 40 people had to be evacuated. As Schwäbische.de , the accused was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, but the judgment was not is final. The court trial extended over several days in which many events and testimonies were illuminated.

The estimated extent of the property damage was around 50,000 euros. While the public prosecutor accused an intention, the court could not find any such. This led to a lower punishment. The man who lives from a traumatic background in Germany chose the flame as a means of coping with his inner demons in a moment of despair.

fire statistics in refugee accommodation

At the national level, the problem of arson in refugee accommodation is now systematically recorded. A project for fire statistics in refugee accommodation was launched in order to gain a comprehensive overview of such incidents. The recording began in 2015 and has since comprised a variety of fire events. The aim is to optimize fire protection in refugee accommodation and to raise awareness of this serious topic.

The statistics show that a significant part of the fire events are caused by third parties, often with an xenophobic background. From 2015 to 2016 there were over 600 fire events in refugee accommodation in Germany, which often had serious consequences such as injuries due to flue gas intertoxics. 75 % of these fires were in inhabited accommodations, which underlines the urgency of the problem.