Overview

• The trial concerns a February 2024 assault on Jewish student Lahav Shapira, who suffered severe injuries, including a facial fracture and brain hemorrhage.
• The defendant, a former Free University student, admitted to the violence but denies any antisemitic motive, claiming it was not politically driven.
• Prosecutors argue the attack was influenced by an antisemitic climate on campus following the October 2023 Hamas terror attack, presenting chat logs as evidence.
• Judge Sahin Sezer indicated that a suspended sentence is unlikely if an antisemitic motive is confirmed, which would carry stricter legal penalties under German hate-crime statutes.
• The defense attorney, Ehssan Khazaeli, faces scrutiny over past ties to far-right groups and AfD politicians, raising concerns about political influences in the trial.