Press release: Defence Team of the Ulm 5 from 29th May 2026
Today, 29th May 2026, marked the fifth day of the trial against the Ulm 5. Once again, presiding judge Kathrin Lauchstädt refused to allow the defendants to speak confidentially with their lawyers during the hearing or to sit next to them. The presiding judge did not address the case law of the European Court of Human Rights to which the defence had referred.
In their statements, the defendants made it clear that they had decided to take action against the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems because it bears joint responsibility for the genocide in Gaza and because the German government has done nothing to prevent German companies from supporting the genocide.
As the defendants have now finally had the opportunity to explain in person their motives for their action, the defence has called for the orders of their remand to be lifted. The defendants acted out of understandable motives. They saw no other way to take action against the killing and death that they were witnessing daily, live on their smartphones. Every additional day in pre-trial detention is excessive.
Who are the Ulm5? Five young people – students, artists, activists – from Ireland, the UK, Spain, and Germany who have spent years advocating for Palestinian rights through legal means. Their action on 8th September 2025, was an expression of deep moral conviction – civil disobedience directed exclusively against property in order to save human lives.
Defence team: 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