Press release from 27th April 2026 from the Ulm5 Defence
During today’s opening of the trial at the Stuttgart Regional Court in the case against the Ulm 5, events escalated rapidly.
Prior to the hearing, the defence had attempted to contact – both by writing and by calling – the presiding judge in order to discuss various matters, in particular the seating arrangement in the courtroom. However, these requests went unanswered.
Instead, the court unilaterally scheduled a so-called “inspection appointment” without coordinating with the defence.
From the outset, the defence emphasised that the defendants should be seated next to their lawyers in order to ensure unobstructed and confidential communication in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
This fundamental right was not, in the eyes of the defence, guaranteed under the planned seating arrangement in the courtroom today.
Motions to change this and other related objections were not given consideration. The defence was not given the floor, and the microphones were not switched on, even though, according to the presiding judge, anything not spoken into the microphone would not be translated and would “disappear.”
The defence sought dialogue with the court not only prior to and during the main hearing in order to reach a constructive solution, but also during the recess. The court did not respond.
The defence views this conduct as an unacceptable violation of the defendants’ right to a fair trial and has therefore filed a motion for recusal against the presiding judge.
The undersigned are available for further inquiries.
Dr. Maja Beisenherz, München, Info@beisenherz.eu, 0177 / 70 95 812
Michael Brenner, Nürnberg, michael.brenner@anw-nbg.de, 0911 / 37 66 42 77
Mathes Breuer, München, breuer@kanzlei-abe.de, 0175 / 52 46 963
Anna Magdalena Busl, Bonn, busl@anwaltsbuero-bonn.de, 0176 / 23 23 32 35
Benjamin Düsberg, Berlin, mail@rechtsanwalt-duesberg.de, 0157 / 30 30 8383
Carolin Kaufmann, Berlin, kaufmann@akm-berlin.de, 0172 / 47 21 420
Rosa Mayer-Eschenbach, München, eschenbach@kanzlei-abe.de, 0176 / 65 35 94 43
Christina Mucha, Memmingen, info@kanzlei-mucha.de, 08331 / 69 08 136
Nina Onèr, Berlin, kanzlei@ninaoner.de, 01520 97 33 278
Matthias Schuster, Berlin, mail@anwalt-schuster.de, 0176 / 24 75 8230
Martina Sulzberger, Augsburg, kanzlei@anwaeltin-sulzberger.de, 0821 / 50 87 3850