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Nov-11-2009Life for German Who Killed Woman in Court(topic overview)
CONTENTS:
- A RUSSIAN-born German man has been sentenced to life behind bars for the brutal courtroom murder of a pregnant head-scarved Egyptian woman, a crime that sparked outrage in the Muslim world. (More...)
- Police cordoned off streets around the court during the proceedings, and about 200 officers stood guard. (More...)
- Wiens, a 28-year-old Russian-born German, has admitted to stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death during at a July 1 court hearing. (More...)
- Demonstrators outside the courtroom ahead of the verdict carried signs with slogans like "stop the Islam hate in Germany" and "the death of Marwa is the result of Islam hunting." (More...)
- Judge Birgit Wiegand told the court that Wiens must pay for the crime and its effects on the parents, the widow, the brother and the three-year-old son of the 31-year-old victim. (More...)
- The original incident between the two had occurred in 2008, in a children's playground in the city. (More...)
- The defendant refused to comment on the new development. (More...)
- Lawyers representing her family agreed, and also demanded the punishment of officials for the security breach that allowed W to smuggle a knife in his bag to kill al-Shirbini in a busy Dresden, Germany courtroom. (More...)
- Prosecutors said the attack was motivated by "a pronounced hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims". (More...)
- Wiens turned on him, before an armed policeman rushed into the courtroom and mistakenly shot Okaz in the leg. (More...)
- We all have been in shock ever since, and are convinced, tomorrow, there will be justice spoken. (More...)
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A RUSSIAN-born German man has been sentenced to life behind bars for the brutal courtroom murder of a pregnant head-scarved Egyptian woman, a crime that sparked outrage in the Muslim world. Alex Wiens, 28, his face covered by a hood and his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, was motionless as the court in Dresden found him guilty of murdering Marwa El-Sherbini, dubbed the "veil martyr.'' On July 1, in the same courthouse, Wiens had plunged an 18cm kitchen knife at least 16 times into Ms Sherbini, 31 and three-months pregnant with her second child. Her son, 3, watched her bleed to death. Ms Sherbini's husband, Elwy Okaz, rushed to her aid but was also stabbed repeatedly and then shot in the leg by a guard who apparently mistook him for the attacker. He is unsure if he will ever walk again. [1] Dresden, Germany - A German man found guilty of murdering a pregnant Egyptian woman in a courtroom killing was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on Wednesday, after a high-profile case which has stirred emotions across both Germany and the Middle East. Marwa el-Shribini, an Egyptian pharmacist, was stabbed to death in July by Alex Wiens during a hearing in a Dresden court where he had been fined for racially-abusing her as an "Islamist" and a "slut." El-Shribini's husband was shot and injured by police as he tried to save his pregnant wife.[2]
The judge imposed the harshest possible sentence under the German system by ruling that W. will not be eligible for parole after 15 years. A court in Dresden sentenced Alex W., a German man of Russian origin, to life in prison on Wednesday for murdering Marwa al-Sherbini, a pregnant Egyptian woman, by stabbing her 16 times in a courtroom in a case that caused outrage across the Arab world.[3] Dresden, Germany - A German prosecutor demanded Monday that judges sentence a self-avowed racist to life in prison without automatic parole for stabbing a pregnant Egyptian pharmacist to death. In his summation, senior prosecutor Frank Heinrich said Alex W, aged 28, had coldbloodedly planned in advance to kill headscarf-clad Marwa al-Shirbini in a German courtroom this year "out of sheer hatred for non-Europeans and Muslims." "His guilt is especially great," the prosecutor told the court, which is scheduled to hand down its verdict this week. "In the sight on her 3-year-old son, he butchered this mother as if he were a hired assassin," said Heinrich, who said that the attempt to kill her husband, who tried to rescue her, was also intentional.[4]
A racist thug who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian women to death in court where she was due to give evidence against him has been jailed for life. Marwa al-Sherbini had accused Alexander Wiens of insulting her with racial slurs, calling her a '''terrorist''' and '''Islamist'''. He stabbed her 16 times with a seven-inch knife he had smuggled into the building in Dresden, Germany and also seriously injured her husband in an attack that outraged the Muslim world. Russian-born Wiens was convicted of the killing today after admitting the attack on Mrs al-Sherbini in July but claiming it was not premeditated and he was not racist. Demonstrators outside the courtroom ahead of the verdict carried signs with slogans such as '''stop the Islam hate in Germany''' and '''the death of Marwa is the result of Islam hunting.'''[5] During the trial, Wiens admitted stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death at a July 1 court hearing in Dresden. Wiens had argued, however, that his actions were not premeditated and that he had no xenophobic motivation. His attorneys had sought a lesser manslaughter conviction and said they would appeal the verdict. Al-Sherbini, a 31-year-old pharmacist, was stabbed at least 16 times by Wiens in the Dresden courtroom where she was to testify against him. She had filed a complaint against him in 2008, accusing him of insulting her with racial slurs, calling her a "terrorist" and "Islamist" during an altercation. Many German courts, including the one where the killing took place, have no security checks at their entrance. Prosecutors said the defendant used a kitchen knife with a 7-inch (18-centimeter) blade that he had brought into the courtroom in a backpack. Her husband, a scientist conducting research in Dresden, was stabbed and suffered serious injuries when he intervened to protect her.[6] The document, which was provided by Russian authorities in response to a German request for assistance, apparently says that a certain "Aleksandr Igorevich N." was "placed under observation" on July 1, 2000 because of an "undifferentiated schizophrenia." The "N." in question could be the same person as the defendant Alex W., who changed his name to make it sound more German when he moved to Germany. Alex W. is accused of killing 31-year-old Marwa al-Sherbini, who was the mother of a three-year-old child and who was three months pregnant when she died, by stabbing her 16 times during a court hearing in Dresden on July 1.[7]
Kiess said the earliest Alex W. could ask for a parole hearing would be after 18 to 19 years in prison because of the severity of the crime. The court also convicted him of attempted murder for stabbing Sherbini's husband, who had rushed to her aid in the courtroom in Dresden, Kiess said. The court spokesman said the defendant hid his face under a hooded sweater and sunglasses while the verdict was read. Sherbini, who had moved to Dresden in 2003, had sued Alex W. for insult and abuse for an incident last year, accusing him of calling her a "terrorist" and "Islamist." A court found him guilty of defamation and fined him 780 euros ($1,172), and Alex W. appealed the ruling. The two sides appeared in court again on July 1, and after Sherbini finished testifying, Alex W. pulled out a knife from his backpack and attacked her. He also allegedly stabbed her husband three times and attacked another person.[8]
New evidence has delayed the announcement of a German court's verdict for the man who murdered Egyptian Muslim woman Marwa el-Sherbini. In July, Alex Wiens stabbed 18 times Sherbini in front of her three-year old son in a Dresden courtroom as the Muslim woman was testifying against him. When Sherbini's husband rushed to help her, a security guard confused him for the attacker and shot him. The court's new evidence is Wiens' Russian military pass, which shows the Russian army did not draft him for medical reasons, a spokesman for the Dresden state court said. The court also received information from Russian authorities saying he was discharged because he was believed to have 'indifferent schizophrenia', said Peter Kiess. The new information means a court-appointed psychologist who had earlier deemed Wiens to be fully responsible for his actions now has to reevaluate his findings.[9] The Dresden court on Wednesday sentenced Alex Wiens to life imprisonment for stabbing Marwa El-Sherbini to death in July, AFP reported. The victim, who has come to be known as the 'veil martyr', was three months pregnant at the time of her brutal murder. The murder, committed with an 18-centimetre (seven-inch) kitchen knife, took place before the Egyptian woman's three-year-old son Mustafa and her husband, Elwy Okaz who was injured while trying to shield his wife.[10] A German court sentenced a Russian-born German man to life imprisonment on Wednesday for murdering a pregnant Egyptian woman, a crime that sparked outrage in the Muslim world. Alex Wiens, 28, had stabbed to death headscarved Marwa El-Sherbini, 31 and expecting her second child, with an 18-centimetre (seven-inch) kitchen knife in the same courthouse where he was sentenced on Wednesday.[11] DRESDEN, Germany — A Russian-born German man was found guilty Wednesday of murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a pregnant Egyptian woman in court, an attack that triggered outrage in the Muslim world. The Dresden state court said in its ruling that because of the particularly brutal nature of the crime defendant Alexander Wiens, 28, would not be eligible for early release.[6]
DRESDEN, Germany (Reuters) - A man who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death in a German courtroom in front of her husband and three-year old son was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, a court spokesman said.[12] A man who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death in a German courtroom in front of her husband and three-year-old son has been sentenced to the maximum penalty of life in jail.[13]
Marwa el-Sherbini's killing sparked massive outrage across Egypt and the Arab world after Western media failed to report on the killing until anti-German statements were yelled at an Alexandria demonstration days after the pregnant woman was knifed down inside the German courtroom. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Alex Wiens, 28, who murdered the woman after a judge had fined him 750 euros for racist comments on a playground where she had been watching her three-year-old son. The German man he is a German citizen of Russian ethnicity has confessed to killing the woman, who has been dubbed the "veiled martyr" by Arabic media. "It is true that I am hostile to foreigners but that was not the motive," Wiens said in a statement read by one of his lawyers on November 4.[14] Though Wiens' sentence was the harshest possible under the German system — most condemned to life in prison are eligible for release after 15 years — people in the victim's hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, said it was not enough. "She died, but he's still alive," said neighbor Badr Shorbagy, 57. Egyptian Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy told reporters outside the courtroom, however, that he thought "justice has been honored." "Getting the maximum possible sentence, I think that itself says a lot," he said. In his closing arguments on Monday, prosecutor Frank Heinrich said there was no doubt of Wiens' reasons. "It's clear that his motive was hatred for Muslims," Heinrich told the panel of judges. "Like a maniacal, cold-blooded killer, he started stabbing the woman and her husband, who was trying to protect her."[6] However people in al-Sherbini's home city of Alexandria, Egypt, said it was not enough, the Associated Press reported. "She died, but he's still alive," said neighbor Badr Shorbagy, 57. Prosecutor Frank Heinrich had said in his closing arguments on Monday that W. had been motivated by a hatred of Muslims. "Like a maniacal, cold-blooded killer, he started stabbing the woman and her husband, who was trying to protect her," Heinrich said. The Egyptian ambassador to Germany, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, said he was satisfied with the sentence because it was the harshest possible.[3]
The husband was gravely wounded, but survived. Germany has no death penalty, but the prosecutor said W should receive the highest penalty, life in jail, which is reserved for attacks of a heinous nature and those on unsuspecting victims. Heinrich called for the court to rule that both these features applied in this case. Life prisoners in Germany commonly win parole after 15 years, but such a ruling would delay parole consideration for an extra 3 to 10 years and function as a recommendation to keep W in prison till he dies. The case triggered outrage in Egypt, amid perceptions that W was killed because she regularly wore an Islamic headscarf. W is charged with the murder of al-Shirbini, the attempted murder of her scientist husband who was in Germany to pursue research, and causing dangerous bodily harm in the melee in Dresden on July 1 before police could restrain him. "He went at them both with all his might, determined and focussed," said the prosecutor. "He killed a human being and wounded another so seriously that it was only a matter of luck that the man survived. "He ignored commands to stop from the judge and from his own lawyer. He kept mercilessly stabbing her as she lay on the ground."[4] The sentence virtually rules out the possibility of release after 15 years - which is often the case in murder convictions. Wiegand added that Wiens, who was born and grew up in Russia but moved to Germany with his family as an adult, had developed a hatred for foreigners partly because he was unemployed. Wiens stabbed the pregnant Shirbini to death in front of her son, and severely injured her husband during a hearing in a Dresden courtroom on July 1, where he faced a fine for calling her an "Islamist" and a "slut". The murder of Shirbini, who wore the Islamic headscarf, was received with outrage in Egypt and the Arab world, as many suspected that she had been killed merely because she was a Muslim.[2] Wiens was sentenced to life imprisonment without automatic parole - the highest sentence in Germany, where there is no death penalty. The sentence, reserved for attacks of a heinous nature and those on unsuspecting victims, virtually rules out the possibility of release after 15 years - as can happen after less serious murder convictions. Wiens stabbed Shirbini to death in front of her young son, and severely injured her husband during a hearing in a Dresden courtroom on July 1, where he faced a 330-euro (480-dollar) fine for verbal abuse.[15]
When Wiens returned to the courtroom for an appeal hearing on 1 July this year, prosecutors say he smuggled in an 18cm (7in) kitchen knife and stabbed Ms Sherbini at least 16 times with it. The 31-year-old, who was three months pregnant with her second child, bled to death in front of her husband and their three-year-old son. Her husband was himself stabbed as he tried to protect his wife, and also accidentally shot in the leg by a security guard who initially believed him to be the attacker. Wiens was also found guilty of attempted murder and causing bodily harm for his attack on the dead woman's husband.[16] The case began with an argument in a playground in 2008. Sherbini, a pharmacist, is said to have asked Wiens to let her child use a playground swing where he was sitting. He refused and instead began calling her abusive names. She took the defendant to court and he was fined 780 euros for defamation. When Wiens sought an appeal hearing in July this year, prosecutors said he smuggled an 18cm kitchen knife and stabbed Sherbini at least 16 times. The 31-year-old, who was three months pregnant with her second child, bled to death in front of her husband and their three-year-old son. Her husband was himself stabbed as he tried to save his wife, and then shot in the leg by a security guard who initially believed him to be the attacker.[17]
Wiens took what prosecutors say was premeditated revenge when the two met again at Wiens' appeals hearing. Wiens smuggled an 18-centimeter-long kitchen knife into the courtroom in his backpack and fatally attacked Sherbini, three months' pregnant with her second child. Sherbini's husband, Elwy Okaz, an Egyptian geneticist doing research in Germany, was stabbed multiple times as he tried to protect his wife. He also was shot in the leg by a security guard who apparently mistook him for his wife's assailant. It is unclear whether he will ever walk again unaided. There had been fears that a decision in the case could have been delayed by last-minute evidence that Wiens had a history of schizophrenia before he moved to Germany in 2003. The suggestion of schizophrenia came in a faxed statement to the Dresden court earlier this week from the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office.[18]
The killing, as well as a slow reaction from Germany's politicians and media, sparked outrage in Sherbini's home country, as well as in the wider Muslim world. She became known in Arab lands as 'the headscarf martyr'. During his trial the court heard how Wien's racist attack on El-Sherbini in a Dresden city park the previous year was the catalyst for the terrible murder. She was in a public park in the city when she asked Wiens to vacate a swing he was sitting on so her child could use it. He called her a 'Muslim whore,' 'terrorist' and other insults. Police eventually arrived and arrested him. He was fined but appealed the punishment of '750 - leading to the July court hearing in which he took her life shortly after she had stepped out of the witness box to speak against him. Prosecutors said he was driven by 'an unbridled hatred of foreigners'. In a statement read by his lawyer, Wiens admitted being hostile to foreigners but denied this was the motive for the attack.[19] The prosecutor has asked for a life sentence for 29-year-old Wiens, an unemployed ethnic Russian. The murder of Sherbini, a pharmacist who was three months pregnant, stirred outrage in the Muslim world, especially in her native Egypt. Many have accused Germany of lax security and failure to protect its minority Muslim population amid a new wave of hatred against Arabs. In 2003, Sherbini moved to Dresden after her husband received a scholarship to study genetic engineering in the Max Planck Institute. He was scheduled to present his doctoral thesis when Sherbini was killed.[9]
DRESDEN, Germany — Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for a man who has admitted to fatally stabbing a pregnant Egyptian in a German court in a case that triggered outrage across the Muslim world.[20] AP's earlier story is below. DRESDEN, Germany (AP) — A German court is expected to deliver its verdict today in the case of a man charged with murder for the courtroom stabbing of a pregnant Egyptian woman.[21] Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- The verdict in the trial of a German man accused of stabbing to death a pregnant Muslim woman in a courtroom has been postponed because of new evidence, a spokesman for the Dresden state court told CNN Tuesday.[22]
A court in Germany has handed the life sentence to the Russian-born German who murdered an Egyptian Muslim woman during a Dresden trial.[10]
Dresden, Germany - A German prosecutor demanded Monday that judges sentence a self-avowed racist to life in prison without easy parole for stabbing a pregnant Egyptian pharmacist to death.[23] It seemed inevitable that Alex W., a Russian-German on trial in Dresden for the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman, would receive the most severe sentence possible. Now a last-minute piece of evidence has cast doubt on whether he can be considered responsible for his acts. The defendant had already heard himself described unfavorably during the course of his trial. Even he could hardly have been prepared for the unusually scathing words the senior prosecutor used in preliminary remarks to his closing argument.[7] Heinrich, the senior prosecutor, demanded that the defendant be sentenced to life in prison for murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery. Alex W. refused to show his face during the trial. On days when there were hearings, the defendant was pushed into the courtroom, his hands and feet in shackles, looking like some kind of evil demon. He wore dark sunglasses and covered his head with a black ski mask and the hood of his sweatshirt -- a man without a face.[7]
The prosecution said W., 28, had murdered al-Sherbini out of racial hatred. She had been testifying against him in a court hearing in Dresden on July 1. That hearing was held after W. had appealed against a '780 ($1,170) fine for calling al-Sherbini an "Islamist", "terrorist" and "slut" when she asked him to let her son go on the swings at a playground in August 2008. W. admitted killing al-Sherbini but had argued that his actions were not premeditated. His attorneys had sought a manslaughter conviction. The defendant hid his face under a hood and sunglasses during the trial. Al-Sherbini's husband, a scientist, was stabbed and suffered serious injuries when he intervened to protect her during the July 1 attack. He was then shot in the leg by a police officer who had rushed into the courtroom and mistook him for the attacker.[3] The killing took place in a different courthouse. Wiens, a German of Russian origin, was convicted of murdering Marwa El-Sherbiny, whom he stabbed 16 times with a knife, and given the maximum penalty. He also stabbed her husband Elwy Okaz, who was trying to defend her. Okaz was then shot in the leg by a guard who mistook him for the attacker. He appeared at the trial on crutches. The defendant sat behind bulletproof glass for the trial, with his feet shackled, and hid his face under a hood and sunglasses. The killing took place in a court where Wiens was appealing a conviction for insulting Sherbiny by calling her an "Islamist," "terrorist" and "slut" when she asked him to make room for her son to play on swings in a playground. In a statement read out by one of his lawyers during the trial, Wiens said he was hostile to foreigners but that was not the motive for the attack. It was his "fear of the trial," and of being sent to jail.[12]
Alex Wiens, 28, stabbed Marwa Sherbini, who was wearing a hijab or headscarf at least 16 times on 1 July, in the same court room where the trial was held in the eastern city of Dresden.[17]
A racist was today sentenced to life in jail for the brutal courtroom murder of a pregnant Muslim dubbed the headscarf martyr. Alex Wiens, 28, was sentenced in the same courthouse in Dresden, Germany, where he killed Marwa El-Sherbini and her unborn child in July.[19] Dresden, Germany - A German man was sentenced to life imprisonment without automatic parole on Wednesday, for the murder of Egyptian pharmacist Marwa el-Shirbini in a Dresden courtroom.[24] A 28-year-old German man of Russian descent was jailed for life on Wednesday for the murder of an Egyptian woman in a Dresden courtroom last July, after stabbing her 16 times with a kitchen knife.[25]
"Our society does not need people like you, who come here with crude ideas, who contribute nothing to society but instead kill in a cowardly fashion," prosecution lawyer Frank Heinrich said Monday, speaking at the trial in Dresden of Alex W., a 28-year-old German man of Russian origin who is accused of the murder of an Egyptian woman.[7]
Alex W., the man who stabbed pregnant Egyptian pharmacist Marwa al-Sherbini to death in a courtroom in Dresden in July, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.[3] Dresden, 11 Nov. (AKI) - A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering a pregnant Egyptian woman in a German courtroom in front of her husband and young child.[17]
A Russian-born German citizen who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death during a court hearing in July has been sentenced to life in prison.[26] A "maniacal" killer who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death in a German courtroom has been sentenced to life in prison.[27]
Prosecutors have said almost all the right things, demanded a life imprisonment and have let everyone know that the murder of Marwa el-Sherbini needs to have justice at the end of the tunnel. Like many in Egypt, racism has come into play and needs to be addressed, not because it matters in the sentencing of this crazed Neo-Nazi, but because it matters on a much higher level than it has ever before. When Bikya Masr published the first English language story on the case in early July, it was an unbelievable story that left many wondering how something of this horror actually occur, let alone inside a courtroom. Questions began to surface: Where were the police? What were they doing? How could a woman be stabbed 17 times in plain daylight in front of so many people? Why was Marwa's husband shot? These questions continue to today, despite the German government attempting to make excuses, hold the police officers responsible for the actions, rather inaction. Germany, and Egypt who deals with their black African migrants and refugees much the same way must begin to understand that continued anger and forced integration will do little than continue the ongoing difficulties of Arabs living in Europe and Europeans attempting to bring "civilization" to their Middle Eastern neighbors.[28] One of the main factors that caused much angst among Egyptians and Arabs was the international media'''s apparent lack of attention given to the murder. It was not until the anti-German chants began at the Alexandria protest days after the killing that major news networks began following the story. It was too late, with Egyptians demanding a reason for what they called the '''double standards''' of Western news. '''If it had been a Chrstian white woman killed in an Egyptian courtroom, it would have been the lead story, then there would have been a discussion of how the Middle East hates America and the West, but in this case, there was nothing until a few Egyptians chanted against Germany,''' said one Egyptian activist at the time, who was participating in the protests at German government buildings in Egypt.[14]
Police cordoned off streets around the court during the proceedings, and about 200 officers stood guard. "We welcome this sentence as the harshest possible sentence under German law," said Husam Zaki, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. "We hope that this sentence will serve as a lesson for all those who are motivated by hate." In Egypt, Issam Al-Aryan, the Muslim Brotherhood leader, said he was very happy with the sentence. "It is fair and reassures Arabs and Muslims that they can live in comfort and safety in Western society." Sherbini moved to Dresden in 2003 after her husband received a grant to study genetic engineering in the Max Planck Institute. He was scheduled to present his doctoral thesis when his wife was killed. CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report. [8] A psychologist who has described W as sane is to be called to court Tuesday to comment on the Russian document. The stabbing happened at an appeal hearing, just after al-Shirbini had just testified about racist slurs W had uttered against her in 2008 at a playground. On July 1, prosecutors were seeking a harsher sentence against him but there was no special security in the court. W stared impassively at the ground, with a hood pulled over his head, as the state prosecutor called for the maximum murder penalty. 'His guilt is especially great,' the prosecutor told the Dresden court, a different panel from that which tried the insult case. 'In the sight on her 3-year-old son, he butchered this mother as if he were a hired assassin,' said Heinrich, who said that the attempt to kill her husband, who tried to rescue her, was also intentional.[23] Heinrich said W had continued to speak insultingly about al-Shirbini to the psychologist long after the killing. "That leaves me almost speechless," said Heinrich. W, who admitted last week that he hated non-Germans and Muslims in general, was born and raised in Russia. The stabbing happened at an appeal hearing, just after al-Shirbini had just testified about racist slurs he had uttered against her in 2008 at a playground. On July 1, prosecutors were seeking a harsher sentence against him but there was no special security in the court. Prosecutor Heinrich said a statement from W, read aloud last week in court, had not even been an admission of guilt, but aired anew W's belief that he had been treated unfairly by the court in the criminal-insult case and had been in a "funny mood." In the statement, W had only said he was sorry because he faced consequences. "There was not one word about the tragedy he caused," said the prosecutor, adding that W had never even apologized to al-Shirbini's family which shows "he still does not grasp the harm he did." The prosecutor rejected the view of the defence that W had acted in the heat of the moment, saying, "He knew what he was doing and acted with the coldness of ice."[4]
Wiens, a 28-year-old Russian-born German, has admitted to stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death during at a July 1 court hearing. He had tried to argue his actions were not premeditated and that he had no xenophobic motivation. The stabbing happened during a hearing over a complaint al-Sherbini filed against Wiens accusing him of insulting her with ethnic slurs. [21] The Dresden state court also ruled that Alexander Wiens would not be eligible for early release. Wiens, 28, admitted stabbing Marwa Sherbini to death at a court hearing involving them both in July.[16] The Dresden state court also ruled that Wiens would not be eligible for early release. Wiens admitted stabbing Marwa El-Sherbini - who was expecting her second child - to death in the courtroom in front of her husband and three-year-old son. Her husband was wounded while trying to defend his wife.[26]
The horrific attack by 28-year-old Alex Wiens happened in front of the victim's husband and three-year-old son at Dresden courthouse in July this year. It shocked Germany and incensed the Muslim world, sparking protests from Egypt to Iran.[27] The case of Alex Wiens, 28, who has admitted holding anti-Islamic and xenophobic views, shocked Germany and incensed the Muslim world, sparking protests from Egypt to Iran.[12]
Dresden, Germany - The judge in the Marwa el-Shirbini murder case said Wednesday that the motive of the convicted killer, Alex Wiens, was hatred of foreigners.[29] The judge ruled that Wiens had acted out of racist motives. A "hatred of foreigners ran like a thread through the accused's time in Germany," judge Birgit Wiegand said as she sentenced Wiens for murder, attempted murder and causing dangerous bodily harm. Wiens had confessed to the murder but claimed, in a statement read by his lawyer, that he had acted out of "fear and panic."[15]
Ms El-Sherbiny had accused him of calling her "Islamist", "terrorist" and "slut" when she asked him to make room for her son to play on swings in a playground. Despite admitting being hostile to foreigners, Wiens told the murder trial it was his fear of going to jail - and not xenophobia - that spurred the attack. Frank Heinrich, prosecuting, said: "It's clear that his (Wiens') motive was hatred for Muslims. "Like a maniacal, cold-blooded killer, he started stabbing the woman and her husband, who was trying to protect her." Wiens' lawyers had sought a lesser manslaughter conviction, but he was found guilty of murdering Ms El-Sherbiny and attempting to kill Mr Okaz.[27] Wiegand said that in the eyes of the murderer, all Muslims were Islamists. During the trial Wiens admitted that he hated foreigners, although he denied that the murder had been a racist act. He later said that he had "ruined" his own life, and wished that he had killed himself. During the trial he remained covered with a blue hooded sweatshirt and a facial mask, and mostly stared at the floor, apart from one outburst when he had to be restrained. During the trial the court was told that Wiens had had a history of schizophrenia, but that he could not plead diminished responsibility in his defence. His defence had team argued for a verdict of manslaughter.[2] Over eleven days of hearings, the court heard that Wiens had never made close friends or held down a job. Witnesses described him as socially inept, eccentric and unashamedly hostile to Muslims. Documents revealed that Wiens had had a history of schizophrenia, but an expert psychiatrist said he could not plead diminished responsibility in his defence. His defence had team argued for a verdict of manslaughter and announced they were considering an appeal of the verdict. During the trial Wiens said that he had "ruined" his own life, and wished that he had killed himself. A policeman testified that Wiens had asked to be shot when he was arrested after attacking Shirbini. The defendant kept his face covered during most of the trial, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and a facial mask. He mostly stared at the floor, apart from one outburst when he had to be restrained.[15] Mr Okaz was then shot in the leg by a guard who mistook him for the attacker. He appeared at Wiens' murder trial still on crutches. The defendant sat behind bulletproof glass for the hearings, held at another court in Dresden, with his feet shackled and his face hidden under a hood and sunglasses. The killing took place as the victim testified against Wiens for allegedly racially insulting her in 2008.[27]
Wiens reacted by calling Ms El-Sherbini, who wore a headscarf, abusive anti-Muslim names. She later took the defendant to court and he was fined for defamation. During an appeal hearing on 1 July this year, Wiens smuggled a knife into the courtroom and stabbed Ms El-Sherbini with it.[26] The slaying, before a courtroom filled with people, was sudden and brutal. Wiens stabbed Sherbini 16 times as they both appeared for an appeal hearing over an altercation they had a year earlier in a Dresden playground. The two had met by chance in the playground when Sherbini asked Wiens to vacate a swing so that her toddler could use it.[18]
Aleksandr (Alex) Wiens, who was born in Russia, stabbed the woman to death and severely injured her husband during a hearing in a Dresden courtroom on July 1, where he faced a fine for calling her an 'Islamist' and a'slut'.[24] A ministry spokesman was cited by Interfax as saying the new unit would target criminal officers as w. Alex W stabbed the woman to death and severely injured her husband during a hearing.[2] Alex W. appealed the decision and a new trial was set for July 1, 2009. After Sherbini had finished her testimony that morning, Alex W. jumped up and stabbed her and her husband in front of the presiding judge and Sherbini's three-year-old son.[25] The couple's three-year-old son witnessed the incident. Judge Wiegand said Alex W., who was unemployed, had regarded life in Germany as "multicultural shit" and believed foreigners were depriving him of work. She said he despised Muslims in particular and ignored the fact that he himself was not of German origin, she said.[3] Werner Wendel, from the Dresden-based Foreigner's Council of Saxony, said that Alex W.' s sentiments were well known in the area. He was jobless and didn't think he could lead a prosperous life in Germany. "He didn't get a chance to become integrated in Germany. He didn't get a chance to be a member of this society. It's bad, but in the end one might say he became a loser under the German system of integration," Wendel said. In October last year, Sherbini filed defamation charges against W. A hearing was held in November in which the court convicted him of defamation and fined him 780 euros.[25]
Even when the cameras were not directed at him, W. avoided looking at the judges, the prosecutor or the public. Most of all, he avoided the gazes of al-Sherbini's relatives and their eight attorneys, who sat facing him. He either placed his head on the table in front of him or covered his face with his hands. Wiegand, the presiding judge, had abandoned her appeals to the defendant to behave properly out of respect for al-Sherbini and the court. Despite his insistence that Germany is his home, the defendant appeared to be unfamiliar with the laws and values of his adopted country. W. was born in 1980 in Perm, a city of a million people near the Ural Mountains, and spent his childhood in Russia. His parents were divorced when he was two years old. His mother, who worked as an architect and later as a goldsmith, spent many years living in Kazakhstan with the boy, who was already inclined to be unruly and defiant. He only stayed with his father in Perm for isolated periods. As a result of constantly being shuttled back and forth between his parents, the boy never experienced the kind of relationship that would help him develop his own identity.[7]
Defendant Alexander Wiens, right, is escorted to the courtroom of the district court in Dresden, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.[6] Defendant Alex Wiens is escorted into the courtroom. "What we definitely don't need are people like the accused, who came here with crude ideas and think they are somehow special because they hold German citizenship." Wiens was born in Perm and lived there and in Kazakhstan with his mother before both moved to Germany.[18]
For many, it is time to move on and look to the future. Speaking via telephone from Berlin, German journalist Henrich Egger told Bikya Masr that he believes justice was served to a man who "employed more racism than the overwhelming majority of Germans. "We are all pleased to see this man go to prison for the rest of his life, but it won't be the end if we Germans and Egyptians cannot begin to understand how to deal better with our differences," the journalist said. Back in Cairo, Dalia Yussif, a 35-year-old mother of two, believes Alex Wiens, the murderer, should have gotten the death penalty, but "the life sentence will let him suffer more, maybe. We know that not all Germans are racists and that many of them are our friends. It is just disappointing that this kind of discussion had to have Marwa die before we talked openly about the cultural struggle between Europe and us."[30] On July 31, Russian-born Alex Wiens killed Egyptian pharmacist Marwa el-Sherbini in a Dresden courtroom, though not the one where he was sentenced on November 11.[18] Wearing a hood and dark glasses, Alex Wiens is led into the Dresden courtroom.[10]
Demonstrators outside the courtroom ahead of the verdict carried signs with slogans like "stop the Islam hate in Germany" and "the death of Marwa is the result of Islam hunting." In addition to murder, Wiens was convicted of attempted murder for his attack on al-Sherbini's husband, Elwy Okaz. [6] Alexander Wiens admitted to stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death after a hearing in July. The 32-year-old mother was testifying against him on charges he had insulted her with racial slurs. The 28-year-old Russian-born Wiens said he had not planned to kill her and had no xenophobic motivation.[20]
Peter Kiess said the court found that the man -- a 29-year-old, unemployed, ethnic Russian identified only as Alex W.-- stabbed Marwa El-Sherbini during a defamation hearing in July. The court determined that one of his motives was hatred of foreigners, Kiess said.[8] CAIRO: After nearly four and a half months, the Marwa el-Sherbini saga has come to a conclusion of sorts after a German court sentenced the man who stabbed the "veiled martyr" 17 times inside the court in July to life in prison without possibility of early release.[30]
The two sides appeared in court again on July 1. After Sherbini finished testifying, the man allegedly pulled out a knife from his backpack and attacked her. He also allegedly stabbed her husband three times and attacked another person.[22]
Prosecutors, including an Egyptian delegation from Cairo'''s Lawyers Syndicate, had said that the man was driven '''by a pronounced hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims.''' Sherbini was killed only minutes after winning a court case against the man for defaming her after he had called her a '''terrorist''' and demanded she return home on a Dresden playground.[30] The Dresden state court also ruled that Wiens would not be eligible for early release. During his trial, Wiens said his action was not premeditated, but prosecutors insisted he was motivated by a "hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims".[17] In statements to the court, Wiens has said that "it is true that I am hostile to foreigners but that was not the motive" for the attack. Wiens has appeared in court throughout his murder trial wearing a ski mask and dark glasses to completely cover his face. Prosecutors say he has expressed no contrition to the court or the victim's family.[18]
Up until then, Wiens had been adjudged by German psychiatrists as sane and competent to stand trial. Making his closing arguments on November 9, prosecutor Frank Heinrich called Okaz and Sherbini, who came to Germany in 2004, the kind of immigrants that Germany needs. He said that was in sharp contrast to people like Wiens.[18] Egypt said justice had been served with the sentence. Wiens, a Russian-born German citizen, had argued his action was not premeditated. Prosecutors at the trial, which took place amid tight security, insisted he was motivated by a "hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims".[16] Prosecutors are seeking a life prison sentence for defendant Alexander Wiens, a 28-year-old Russian-born German.[21]
Wiens was given the highest life sentence under German law. Wiens had claimed that the murder, to which he admitted, was not a racist act.[29] Wiens was sentenced to life imprisonment without automatic parole - the highest sentence for murder in Germany.[2]
Anything less than a life sentence will leave Egypt, the Arab world and human rights advocates angered. It will put Germany in a position it has tried so vehemently to remove from the stigma of being German. They have their own historical weight to deal with, so there is no need to add another Diaspora to fear the German.[28] The murder stimulated a cultural battle between Europe and the Arab world, with a number of Arabs claiming the murder was part of a larger problem facing European society, namely, racism and hatred of Muslims and Arabs. The Tunisian-German artist, who has lived her entire life in Berlin, says that there are undercurrents within society that are very hateful toward Arabs. '''They don'''t realize that there are Christian Arabs, that many of us were born here and are German citizens. They fear what they don'''t know,''' she added. For el-Sherbini'''s family, the tragic loss of their daughter led to a campaign against all things German.[30]
Europe is the first choice to start that new life. Marwa had been living that "free" life, until she was gruesomely knifed down by a German thug. With her death came the murder of a dream that had long sustained many Egyptians and Arabs: Europe was better. Now, they aren't so sure. People are scared to death of living in Egypt, Egyptians that is, because the government continuously avoids helping their own citizens to live a better life.[28] In Alexandria, local pharmacy'''s called for a boycott of German products, but the movement drizzled out with little success. They did manage to get the Egyptian culture ministry to cancel two performances by the Dresden Symphony Orchestra. In Europe, experts were quick to point to Egypt'''s own problems with racism, arguing that they had no place to talk of Europeans failings while Africans and black people are '''treated with such disregard it is appalling,''' as one Geneva-based intellectual told Bikya Masr last summer.[30]
Bikya Masr. Not only Egyptians but also the Arab world ''are waiting'' for''the announced''''judgement'''' by Dresden court in the killing of a pregnant Egyptian woman in July this year.[14] CAIRO: Egyptians are waiting anxiously for a verdict to be delivered by a Dresden court in the killing of a pregnant Egyptian woman in July.[14]
Egyptian Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy told reporters outside court that "justice has been honoured". He said: "Getting the maximum possible sentence, I think that itself says a lot." Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency: "The verdict, the maximum punishment under German law, serves justice and is considered a warning to those motivated by hate."[16] Sutarski, the psychiatric expert, will now have to testify to the court again and may also need to examine the defendant once more. It is unclear whether the verdict in the case will still be delivered on Wednesday, as was originally expected. If W. is still considered capable of being held responsible for the crime, then he could face the highest possible penalty under German law.[7] Alex W., hiding his face under a hood, mask and sunglasses, is led into court for the verdict on Wednesday.[3] The verdict and the acknowledgement by the judges that Alex W. committed a heinous crime came as a relief to the Egyptian ambassador to Germany.[25] The judge, Birgit Wiegand, ruled that the crime was so brutal that Alex W., who moved to Germany in 2003, will not be eligible for parole after 15 years. He may be in jail for between 18 and 25 years before a board reviews whether he can get parole.[3]
The defendant, Alex W., who has been living in Germany since 2003, also seriously injured the woman's husband, stabbing him at least 15 times with the same knife as he tried to protect his pregnant wife.[25]
Egyptian media quickly dubbed al-Sherbini a martyr and there were huge protests against the murder in several Muslim countries. Al-Sherbini and the defendant met in August 2008, when she asked him to clear a playground swing where he sat smoking a cigarette so Mustafa, her son, could use it. He refused, calling al-Sherbini an "Islamist", a "terrorist" and a "whore". She pressed charges for defamation and he was fined $1,170. An appeal against the conviction brought them together again in July. The defendant allegedly plunged an 18cm kitchen knife into the chest, back and arm of al-Sherbini, 31, three months pregnant at the time with her second child.[13] Wiens, a German of Russian origin, plunged a six-inch kitchen knife at least 16 times into Sherbini, 31, who was three-months pregnant at the time. Her son, three-year-old Mustafa, watched her bleed to death at the scene.[19] Wiens, a German of Russian origin, has admitted holding anti-Islamic and xenophobic views. He stabbed 31-year-old pharmacist Marwa El-Sherbiny 16 times with a seven-inch blade. Wiens also knifed his victim's scientist husband, Elwy Okaz, who was trying to defend her.[27]
When asked about Russia today, W. frequently uses words like "hate" and "shit." A Russian of German descent, W. has been living in Germany with his mother and other relatives since 2003. He obtained a German passport and changed his first name from Aleksandr to the more German-sounding Alex. He has considered himself a German, which apparently fills him with a strong sense of pride. His outlandish ideas, steeped in Nazi racial fanaticism, seen to stem from a time when people were granted or denied the right to live on the basis of their race.[7] First of all I want to say that I have been following all kinds of press about the Marwa-case not only on Bikyamasr, but also all sorts of arab, international and also german papers; I am a journalist with arab origin, but raised in germany, and i have lived a very peaceful and good life amongst good people be it germans, arabs or other countymen here in germany, albeit being an arab muslim woman. germany is all in all very islam-friendly, tolerant and I trust the judical system completely.[28] According to media reports, police officers tried to intervene to end the fight, and a number of shots were fired. One hit the husband, sending him to a hospital where he lay in a coma for two days. The killing of Sherbini, a pharmacist who was three months pregnant, stirred outrage in the Muslim world, especially in her native Egypt. Many accused Germany of lax security and for not adequately protecting its minority Muslim population from a new wave of hatred against Arabs.[8] The country's media reported on the murder but did not touch upon the racist aspect of the killing, and Egyptians deemed the response as a sign of Islamophobia. Hundreds attended Sherbini's funeral in her hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, and Muslims also angrily protested in Berlin, Germany.[8]
The case has been closely watched in Egypt and the Muslim world, where it is widely cited as an example of German and European intolerance of Islam. The Egyptian press has dubbed Sherbini the "veil martyr" in reference to her wearing a head scarf.[18] The case of Wiens, who has admitted holding anti-Islamic and xenophobic views, shocked Germany and incensed the Muslim world, sparking protests from Egypt to Iran.[13]
Iran's ultraconservative "Kayhan" newspaper called on Muslims to carry out a "revolutionary death penalty" against Wiens. A week after the killing, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak but did not comment publicly.[18] Egyptians, Arabs and Germans alike have welcomed the verdict and hope Europe and the Middle East can begin to heal the wounds of the killing and move "toward a better future."[30] Today, one day ahead of Alex W.' s verdict, Egyptians are scared again. They are worried that Europe will not give a much-needed justice to the killer of one of their own.[28] Germany should know that a lot is riding on the verdict handed down to Alex W. on Wednesday.[28]
Because of the severity of the crime and his self-confessed xenophobism, the Dresden state court ruled that Alex W. would have no chance of parole.[25] Prosecutor Frank Heinrich said in closing arguments Monday in a Dresden state court that the suspect acted out of hatred for foreigners and deserved to be convicted and given the maximum penalty.[20] The Taipei District Court held a closed-do. In his summation, senior prosecutor Frank Heinrich said Alex.[4]
The man responded by calling Sherbini -- who wore a headscarf -- "terrorist" and "Islamist," prosecutors said. Sherbini, 33, sued him for insult and abuse. A court found the man guilty of defamation and fined him 780 euros ($1,172).[22]
Marwa El- Sherbini had sued Alex W. for insult and abuse for an incident last year.[8] In August, 2008, Sherbini and her small son, Mustafa, were at a playground in Dresden, where she had asked Alex W. to move so that her son could play on one of the swings.[25]
One activist recently told me that "life is difficult in Europe for non-white people. We could be the most integrated, speak their language perfectly, but to so many, we are outsiders." The activist continued, saying that for many Europeans the racism exhibited by Alex W. exists in a lot more people than those who take violent action. "I have been walking down streets in Berlin, Paris and London wearing the fashion of the day and still I get calls from locals or overhear conversations about how exotic 'those Arabs are.' It is demeaning and this is only part of the problem," she added.[28]
The husband has filed charges against the policeman. Another lawyer for the family, Joseph Helal from Paris, told the court the punishment must be a deterrent to similar racists. 'In the name of half a million Arab lawyers, I say that it is essential to give this accused the most severe penalty available in German law and set an example to all those who do not respect human life,' said Kalifa.[23] Lawyers representing Shirbini's family had called for legal action against court officials for not carrying out security checks. The murder of Shirbini, who wore the Islamic headscarf, caused outrage in Egypt and the Arab world, as many suspected that she had been killed merely because she was a Muslim.[15]
Judge Birgit Wiegand told the court that Wiens must pay for the crime and its effects on the parents, the widow, the brother and the three-year-old son of the 31-year-old victim. [2] The 28-year old was born in Russia. 'He killed. not out of fear but out of revenge. He consciously exploited her innocence and defencelessness,' the judge said. El-Shirbini was testifying against Wiens over his insult to her in a Dresden playground in 2008 when she was stabbed to death. He had called her an 'Islamist' and a'slut'.[29] A verdict is scheduled for Wednesday, but the sudden arrival of a document from Russia, where W was born and raised, may hold that up. The document from a Russian prosecutor confirmed reports that W had been exempted from Russian military service in 2000 on the grounds of schizophrenia, though there was no record between 1998 and 2001 of him being in treatment for this mental illness. Presiding judge Birgit Wiegand urged W to reveal fast if he had had a schizophrenic episode when he stabbed al-Shirbini.[23] The public prosecutor may have to suffer the defendant for longer than he had hoped: A surprise development could mean that the verdict in the high-profile trial will be delayed.[7] The ruling - by a civil service tribunal in the French city of Besancon - is a v. Trial of suspected Nazi killer postponed over hearing aid Aachen, Germany - The murder trial of a former Nazi SS'trooper was postponed on Tuesday because the hard-of-hearing defendant was struggling to follow proceedings.[4]
The original incident between the two had occurred in 2008, in a children's playground in the city. During the trial Wiens, 28, admitted that he hated foreigners, although he denied that the murder had been a racist act. He later said that he had 'ruined' his own life, and wished that he had killed himself.[24] Wiens, surrounded by four security guards as the verdict was read, was also found guilty of attempted murder and causing bodily harm for his attack on Okaz. The killer has kept his face masked with dark glasses, a balaclava and a hooded jacket throughout his trial. He made no comment as the sentence was passed.[19] In a dramatic last-minute twist, a document suddenly arrived from Russia showing that Wiens had been declared unfit for military service in 2001 because of an 'undifferentiated schizophrenia'. Defence lawyers said that the stabbing had not been premeditated, that Wiens always carried a knife in his backpack, and that his psychiatric condition mitigated the crime. The courthouse, so lightly guarded when the murder took place, resembled a maximum security prison during his trial.[19]
Because of the death threats, security at the Wiens trial has been unusually tight.[18]
The original incident between the two had occurred in 2008, in a children's playground in the city. Wiens had been sitting on a swing, and responded with the insults when Shirbini asked him to move to make way for her son. The Egyptian ambassador to Egypt, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, said that he was very happy with the sentence. [2] The original incident between the two had occurred in 2008, in a children's playground in the city. Wiens had been sitting on a swing, and insulted Shirbini when she asked him to move to make way for her two-year-old son, Mustafa. An autopsy report revealed that Shirbini had no chance of survival, after one of 16 knife blows had struck her in the heart. Her husband, a scientist, was also injured when he came to his pregnant wife's aid.[15] The first fateful meeting of Wiens and Sherbini occurred in August 2008 in a playground. Sherbini asked Wiens to vacate a swing so her son could use it but this harmless request was met with a torrent of Islamophobic abuse. Wiens called her a "terrorist", "Islamist" and "whore". She pressed charges for verbal abuse and he was fined 780 euros. He appealed the conviction, bringing them together again on July 1, 2009 -- a day that ended in tragedy.[31] The case began with an argument in a playground in 2008. Ms Sherbini, a pharmacist, is said to have asked Wiens to let her child use a playground swing he was sitting on. He refused and instead called her abusive names.[16]
Wiens responded with a torrent of verbal abuse, calling Sherbini, who was wearing a head scarf at the time, an Islamist, a terrorist, and a whore. Sherbini subsequently sued him for defamation, and Wiens was fined 780 euros ($1,170).[18]
The defendant refused to comment on the new development. The presiding judge Birgit Wiegand called on W. to clarify his mental state at the time of the crime. "If you committed the act during a schizophrenic episode, then say so!" she said, clearly irritated. "It is your decision." [7] Monday's revelation regarding W's mental state was particularly surprising as the defendant had already been examined by a German psychiatric expert, Stephan Sutarski, who found no evidence of any condition that could diminish W.' s responsibility.[7]
Lawyers representing her family agreed, and also demanded the punishment of officials for the security breach that allowed W to smuggle a knife in his bag to kill al-Shirbini in a busy Dresden, Germany courtroom. 'Everyone who enabled him to bring in the weapon must be made to face responsibility,' said lawyer Khaled Abou Bakr Othman. [23] I live in Dresden / Germany and I want to apologize for what happens in my town. Being a father of two little girls this bestial act is unbelievable for me and I am satisfied he got maximum imprisonment. This guy is German but Russian German. Integration is very hard, both cultures are totally different.[28] Wiens, a German citizen, was born in the Russian city of Perm and has lived in Germany since late 2003.[5] Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in western Europe after France and some groups criticised the German government for taking several days to condemn the murder.[13] The back and forth war of words died down and the German judicial system took charge of the case, which left the vast majority of Arabs at ease, but the cultural friction created by the murder continues still, as media have once again put Marwa'''s picture back in the limelight.[30] The sentence is the highest possible for murder in Germany, and practically rules out release after 15 years, which is often the case with murder convictions.[24] If Germany fails to hand down a life sentence, all could be lost and the relationship between Europe and the Arab world will continue to be strained. Right now, Europe and the Middle East must come together and realize they have problems, but these problems can be solved through a real effort to understand the other.[28]
The killing, as well as a slow reaction from Germany's politicians and media, sparked outrage in Sherbini's home country, as well as in the wider Muslim world.[31] Heinrich said W had continued to speak insultingly about al-Shirbini to the psychologist long after the killing. 'That leaves me almost speechless,' said Heinrich. W admitted last week that he hated non-Germans and Muslims in general. In the statement, W had only said he was sorry because he faced consequences.[23]
In Tehran, protestors hurled eggs at the German embassy and daubed "Angie the Nazi" on walls, referring to Angela Merkel, German chancellor. Outside the courtroom, around 200 people, most of them Muslims, staged a demonstration calling for the government to do more to counter racism, particularly on the Internet.[31] On Wednesday around 100 German Muslims protested in Dresden against anti-Islam incitement on the internet.[2]
Security has been exceptionally high for the trial, with 200 police officers securing the court in the same eastern city of Dresden where the July attack occurred.[12]
Prosecutors said the attack was motivated by "a pronounced hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims". Elwy Ali Okaz, al-Sherbini's husband, who was stabbed as he tried to protect his wife during the attack, was then shot in the leg by police who apparently took him for the attacker. [13] Ms El-Sherbini was named "the martyr of the hijab" and her funeral was attended by thousands in Egypt. Wiens has denied that anti-Muslim sentiments were the reason for the attack, but prosecutors claim he was motivated by a "hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims".[26]
Wiens turned on him, before an armed policeman rushed into the courtroom and mistakenly shot Okaz in the leg. Wiegand defended her colleague who presided over the July 1 hearing, after he was criticized for a security breach that allowed Wiens to smuggle a knife into the courtroom. [15] Wiens was also convicted of attempted murder for the attack on Mrs al-Sherbini'''s husband Elwy Okaz.[5] The courthouse, so lightly guarded when the murder took place, now resembled a maximum security prison, with some 200 police officers and snipers on hand following death threats against Wiens, who was shielded by bulletproof glass.[31]
We all have been in shock ever since, and are convinced, tomorrow, there will be justice spoken. One fact that strikes me it that it has almost never been mentioned, that the murderer is not a german person. he is a russian immigrant who is long known to be associated with the neo-nazi scene which unfortunaltely still exists, mainly in eastern germany where this tragic incident took place. I wish people in egypt and elsewhere would understand, that one misguided, crazy cruel neo-nazi, who isn't even german, does not represent this country and it's people. all the people i talked to about this, articles I read in the press, have been very concerened and critical towards the assassin. [28]
SOURCES
1. Life sentence for brutal killer | Herald Sun
2. Life for German courtroom killer of Egyptian woman: 2nd Update : Europe World
3. Maximum Sentence for Racist Murderer: Dresden Courtroom Killer Gets Life - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
4. German prosecutor seeks life jail for headscarf murder - Summary : Legal General
5. Thug who stabbed pregnant Muslim woman jailed From Asian Image)
6. The Associated Press: Man convicted of Egyptian woman's court killing
7. Is Alex W. Schizophrenic?: Last-Minute Twist Could Delay Verdict in Dresden Murder Trial - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
8. Man jailed for life after German court stabbing - CNN.com
9. New evidence delays Sherbini case verdict
10. 'Veil martyr' murderer gets life sentence
11. 'Veil martyr' killer gets life sentence in Germany
12. German courtroom killer sentenced to life in jail | World | Reuters
13. Al Jazeera English - Europe - German convicted of Muslim murder
14. Egypt, Arab world anxious for Marwa killer's verdict | Bikya Masr
15. Life for German courtroom killer of Egyptian woman - Summary : Legal General
16. BBC NEWS | Europe | German courtroom killer gets life
17. Germany: Man sentenced to life in prison for Muslim murder - Adnkronos Security
18. German Head-Scarf Killer Given Life Sentence - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2009
19. Racist Russian jailed for life in Germany for brutal courtroom murder of pregnant Egyptian | Mail Online
20. The Associated Press: Prosecutors demand life for court killing suspect
21. The Associated Press: Man guilty of courtroom killing of Egyptian woman
22. New evidence delays verdict in German court stabbing case - CNN.com
23. Prosecutors seek life jail for Dresden headscarf murder (2nd Roundup) - Monsters and Critics
24. Life imprisonment for el-Shirbini murderer (1st Lead) - Monsters and Critics
25. German gets life sentence in Dresden murder case | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 11.11.2009
26. German courtroom killer gets life in jail | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
27. German Courtroom Killer Alex Wiens Jailed For Stabbing Pregnant Egyptian Mum Marwa El-Sherbiny | World News | Sky News
28. Germany should care about Marwa verdict | Bikya Masr
29. Judge: Motive in el-Shirbini murder was hatred of foreigners (Extra) - Monsters and Critics
30. Marwa killer gets life; Egypt, Arab World and Germany look for peace | Bikya Masr
31. AFP: 'Veil martyr' murderer gets life sentence
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