Justice - Start of trial against suspected smuggler in Dresden
The Dresden public prosecutor's office has demanded at least four and a half years in prison at the start of the trial against a suspected smuggler. This was stated by the representative of the prosecution at the start of the trial on Thursday at Dresden District Court. The defendant, a 28-year-old Ukrainian, is accused of transporting more than 60 people from Turkey, Syria and Iraq via Hungary and the Czech Republic to Saxony together with other accomplices within just two weeks. The smugglers are said to have used vans and cars with Serbian and Czech license plates - including a Maserati sedan - on the five journeys.
The accused did not make any statements at the start of the trial. The man has been in custody since his arrest on June 10. The alleged accomplices are unknown. Officers from the Federal Police have reportedly succeeded in reconstructing the four previous journeys using cell phone data and information provided by the accused. Details are not yet known.
The public prosecutor's office considers the fact that many of the more than 60 people - including many children - were crammed together on the loading area of vans during the journey to be an aggravating factor, in addition to the gang and commercial approach. This was life-threatening treatment, according to the indictment.
The defense demanded a prison sentence well below the minimum sentence of four and a half years demanded by the prosecution in the event of a confession. The court has scheduled five hearing days for this trial until mid-January 2024.
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- The defendant, who is accused of smuggling people from Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, has been in custody since his arrest in Hungary, then transported to the Czech Republic before reaching Saxony.
- The public prosecutor's office in Hungary and the Czech Republic are likely to be involved in the investigation of the alleged accomplices, given their roles in the smuggling operations.
- If the trial in Dresden results in a conviction, it could prompt similar investigations in other countries, as Syria and Iraq also have public prosecutor's offices responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminality related to human smuggling.
- The Public Prosecutor's Office in Dresden, Saxony, may consider collaborating with their counterparts in the Czech Republic and Hungary, to ensure that justice is served not just in Dresden but also in the countries of origin and transit for these smuggled individuals.
- The smuggling of migrants from Turkey, Syria, and Iraq through Hungary and the Czech Republic to Europe is an ongoing issue, with many smuggling networks operating across these countries.
- The processes in the public prosecutor's office in Dresden and elsewhere will have to be thorough and meticulous to ensure that justice is served and these criminal networks are dismantled, thus helping to curb human smuggling in Europe.
Source: www.stern.de
