A placard outside the court where Alexander Wiens was given a life sentence for the fatal stabbing of Marwa al-Sherbini. Photograph: Matthias Rietschel/AP
Guards brought defendant Alexander W. into the courtroom yesterday in Dresden, Germany, for his trial in the killing of a pregnant Egyptian woman in July in the same courtroom. (Matthias Rietschel/ Reuters)
Response to the 'Head Scarf Martyr' Verdict in Egypt and Germany
Dresden courtroom killer jailed for life
Alexander Wiens, 28, stabbed Marwa al-Sherbini to death after she accused him of ethnic slurs
A Russian-born German man was found guilty today of murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a pregnant Egyptian woman in court, an attack that triggered anger across the Muslim world.
Dresden's state court ruled that because of the brutal nature of the crime the defendant, Alexander Wiens, 28, would not be eligible for early release.
During the trial Wiens admitted stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death at a hearing on 1 July in Dresden. Wiens had argued that his action was not premeditated and he had no xenophobic motivation.
His lawyers had sought a lesser manslaughter conviction and said they would appeal against the verdict. Maria Böhmer, the German official responsible for immigrant affairs, said the verdict was "an important signal for the people of Egypt and other parts of the Arab world".
"The message is: There is no place for xenophobia in our country," she said.
Sherbini, a 31-year-old pharmacist, was stabbed at least 16 times by Wiens in the courtroom where she was to testify against him. She had filed a complaint against him in 2008, accusing him of insulting her with racial slurs, calling her a "terrorist" and "Islamist" during an altercation.
Sherbini's husband, a scientist conducting research in Dresden, was stabbed and suffered serious injuries when he intervened to protect her. The couple's three-year-old son was in the courtroom and witnessed the attack.
Many German courts, including the one where the killing took place, have no security checks at their entrance. Prosecutors said the defendant used a kitchen knife that he had brought into the courtroom in a rucksack.
About 1,500 demonstrators outside the courtroom before the verdict carried signs with slogans including "stop the Islam hate in Germany" and "the death of Marwa is the result of Islam hunting".
In addition to murder, Wiens was convicted of attempted murder for his attack on Sherbini's husband, Elwy Okaz.
Presiding Judge Birgit Wiegand said the court was not influenced by the international interest in the case. "We did not pronounce the verdict for the Muslims or any other group, we pronounced the verdict according to German justice – like we would against any other defendant," she said. "He murdered Marwa al-Sherbini before the eyes of her child."
Though Wiens' sentence was the harshest possible under the German system – most condemned to life in prison are eligible for release after 15 years – people in the victim's hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, said it was not enough. "She died, but he's still alive," said neighbour Badr Shorbagy, 57.
Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, Egypt's ambassador to Germany, told reporters he thought "justice has been honoured".
"Getting the maximum possible sentence, I think that itself says a lot," he said.
In his closing arguments on Monday, prosecutor Frank Heinrich said there was no doubt of Wiens' reasons.
"It's clear that his motive was hatred for Muslims," Heinrich told the panel of judges. "Like a maniacal, cold-blooded killer, he started stabbing the woman and her husband, who was trying to protect her."
When given an opportunity to respond in court on Tuesday, Wiens declined to comment. "I don't want to say anything," he told the court.
Wiens, a German citizen, was born in the Russian city of Perm and has lived in Germany since late 2003.
Egyptians expressed outrage at the attack and an initially low-key German response, which many viewed as a sign of racism and anti-Muslim sentiment.
The week after the killing, German chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak but did not comment publicly.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/11/dresden-killer-jailed-alsherbini-wiens
- Associated Press
- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 11 November 2009 18.22 GMT
- Article history
Response to the 'Head Scarf Martyr' Verdict in Egypt and Germany
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