Suspects in murder of two Ukrainian teenage basketball players on trial in Germany
The trial on the murder of two basketball players in Germany has begun (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
A trial against suspects in the murder of two Ukrainian basketball players has begun in Germany. The attack on the young men occurred in February due to ethnic hatred at a train station in Dusseldorf.
The main suspect, Mert V. (a German Turk), and his three accomplices (two Syrians, one German Greek) had long been in the field of view of law enforcement agencies. At the time of the crime, they had not reached the age of majority, which is why the trial was held in chambers.
The report states that Mert V. had previously appeared in various cases, but the arrest warrant had not yet entered into force. The authorities also tried in 2023 to involve juvenile offenders in a relevant prevention program, but this failed due to the refusal of them and their guardians to participate.
Also present at the trial were the parents of Ukrainian boys who had been victims of a juvenile armed gang.
It is known that the main defendants face up to ten years in prison. Four other children (12-13 years old), who were also involved in the double murder, are being taken care of by the Youth Affairs Department.
Attack on Ukrainian basketball players in Germany
On February 10, in Dusseldorf, Germany, a gang of young men attacked two Ukrainian basketball players who were at the Oberhausen station.
Both young men played for the ART Giants (U-19) youth team from Dusseldorf.
One of the boys, 17-year-old Volodymyr Yermakov, died on the spot as a result of severe injuries. Doctors fought for the life of his friend, Artem Kozachenko, for more than a week. However, the young man eventually died in hospital from the severity of his injuries.
