Europe23 July, 20262 min read
Irish Politicians Demand Observers For Daniel Tatlow-Devally Trial In Stuttgart Over Elbit Systems Damage
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Irish cross-party delegation attended Stuttgart trial of Daniel Tatlow-Devally and the Ulm Five. Call for independent observers from Ireland and to raise detention concerns with the German chancellor.
Ulm trial and detention
Irish politicians urged observers for the trial in Germany of Daniel Tatlow-Devally, one of five pro-Palestine activists dubbed the Ulm 5, who are alleged to have entered an Elbit Systems facility in Ulm last September and caused damage worth around $1.13 million. The trial is taking place in Stuttgart, where Tatlow-Devally is detained and where a court warned of “a risk of flight, which would not be sufficiently mitigated even by the posting of bail,” and the defendants face up to five years in prison if convicted.
“Farrell said: ‘His cell, from what I understand, is 5x2 metres.”
Mairéad Farrell of Sinn Féin said she was “quite shocked by the treatment that he is receiving,” describing that Tatlow-Devally is “23 hours a day in his cell.” The Guardian reported that Farrell called on Irish prime minister Micheál Martin to discuss Tatlow-Devally’s detention with German chancellor Friedrich Merz when he visits on Tuesday, and it said the defendants are facing charges over an attack on an Israeli arms company in Ulm.
Glass barriers and “show trial”
Conor Devally said the Ulm 5 were being made to “look like Hannibal Lecter,” and he argued they were “punished in advance” by being held in custody ahead of the conclusion of the case.
TD Richard Boyd Barrett told Socialist Worker, “It was a show trial. There’s no other way to describe it,” and he said “Everything suggests that the presumption of innocence has been thrown out the window.”
The Journal reported that Boyd Barrett, Farrell, and Ward visited Tatlow-Devally in prison the previous day, and it quoted Ward describing “far short of the minimum standards we expect for fair trials.”
The Guardian said the defendants were “basically in a glass cage or behind a glass wall,” and it quoted Farrell saying the accused were “unable to communicate with their lawyers in … a kind of free manner” during the proceedings.
Observers, appeals, and pressure
The Guardian said Farrell urged Martin to bring up the Ulm 5 case when Merz visits for talks focused on Dublin’s six-month presidency of the EU, which began on 1 July, and it reported that she called the need for observers “absolutely crucial.” Arab News reported that the delegation urged Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin to raise Tatlow-Devally’s “access in terms of legal representation as part of the trial” with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is due to visit Dublin on Tuesday.
Hotpress said the trial was described as a “show trial” by Boyd Barrett, and it quoted Farrell saying, “Our demand is that the Irish Government sends observers to this court case in which there is an Irish citizen.” The Journal added that Ward criticised the absence of an official transcript or recording of the trial, saying, “If there is to be an appeal of any aspect of the trial, there is not a reliable or independent note of what actually transpired,” and it described the defendants as being separated from their legal teams by glass.