Press update on Love Parade Trial

This trial about the deaths of 21 (mostly of age between 18-25) and 500+ injured (of which at least 6 took their lives after the event) has a magnitude for Germany that the Hillsborough Desaster meant for the UK. Many politicians expressed their relief about the proceeding of the trial. 

German sources:

The Regional Higher Court vindicates the expert witness Keith Still.

Das Oberlandesgericht rehabilitierte den Sachverständigen jetzt.

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/duisburg-ministerpraesidentin-kraft-begruesst-loveparade-strafverfahren-1.3475826


The expert witness report shows no flaws in content or methodology.

Das Gutachten weise keine durchgreifenden inhaltlichen oder methodischen Mängel auf. 

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/love-parade-prozess-darum-geht-es-nun-vor-gericht-a-1144606.html


Especially due to the expert witness report the case necessarily needs to be brought to trial.

Gerade auf der Grundlage des Still-Gutachtens müsste es zwingend zum Prozess kommen.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/ungluecke/loveparade-2010-soll-doch-vor-gericht-verhandelt-werden-14985342.html


The Higher Regional Court does not confirm the alleged flaws in the expert witness report stated by the Lower Court.

Die vom Landgericht kritisierten angeblichen Mängel des Gutachtens sehe das Oberlandesgericht in entscheidenden Punkten nicht.

http://www.n-tv.de/panorama/Loveparade-Unglueck-kommt-doch-vor-Gericht-article19806440.html


Higher Regional Court pulled the decision of the Lower Court to pieces.

Tatsächlich lässt der 2. OLG-Strafsenat kein gutes Haar an der Entscheidung des Duisburger Gerichts. 

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/ungluecke/loveparade-2010-soll-doch-vor-gericht-verhandelt-werden-14985342.html


Minister-President Hannelore Kraft welcomes the decision.

Ministerpräsidentin Hannelore Kraft begrüßt die Entscheidung. 

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/duisburg-ministerpraesidentin-kraft-begruesst-loveparade-strafverfahren-1.3475826


The victim´s lawyer calls the decision of the Higher Regional Court a ”slap in the face for the judges of the lower court, who wanted to discontinue the case“.

Opferanwalt Julius Reiter bezeichnete den OLG-Beschluss als "Ohrfeige für die Richter am Landgericht Duisburg, die das Verfahren einstellen wollten". 

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/duisburg-ministerpraesidentin-kraft-begruesst-loveparade-strafverfahren-1.3475826


English sources

http://www.dw.com/en/love-parade-criminal-trial-will-go-ahead-court-rules/a-38559751 (German source in English version)

The Düsseldorf court dismissed several key aspects of the lower court's judgment, including ruling that evidence from British expert Keith Still - which had been criticized as deficient by the lower court - was in fact admissible.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Parade_disaster

In April 2017 a Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) decided that a criminal trial against 10 festival organizers and city employees should go ahead. It ruled that there was a "sufficient probability" of convictions and that the lower court (Landesgericht) had set "overly high demands" of the chances of conviction to make its decision. The Higher Court dismissed several key aspects of the lower court's judgment, including ruling that evidence from Keith Still was admissible.

https://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=38812

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