After over a year on remand in extreme conditions of detention, five young people are being tried in a secure court inside the notorious Stammheim prison in Stuttgart, for an action at the Ulm premises of Elbit Systems Deutschland, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms producer. The action was recorded via head-cameras, and the five awaited arrest on site. The prosecutor’s office claims that they committed one million euros in damage to the arms company’s premises.
The Ulm 5 are Crow Tricks, Zo Hailu, Daniel Tatlow-Devally, Leandra Rollo, and Vi Kovarbasic and come from England, Ireland, Spain/Argentina and Germany. Their trial is being heard over a lengthy period of time, with many delays, and is likely to last into next year.
Nicky Roberts, the mother of Zo Hailu told FRFI:
‘The restrictions in this trial are so disproportionate to the charges – effectively trespassing and property damage – and have caused it to become known as a show trial. In Germany there is no jury. A court transcript is not a requirement, and remains at the discretion of the presiding judge [who] refuses the daily applications…
‘I have attended every trial date and there are many types of procedural violation including incorrect translation, lack of confidential commu-nication between defendant and defence, intimidation of the public, bendy kindergarten pencils for the public being called “slash and stab weapons” by the judge to prevent the public from writing despite being guarded by 5-13 men in riot gear.
‘The judge takes weeks to respond to applications, even for simple things like removing or changing the fixed handcuffs that are torturing Zo in the 3-4 hours’ daily transport to and from court [leaving] lasting red marks, bruising, and numbness.
‘Her ankles are shackled in transport, the prison van has bars, is locked, and guarded. Totally disproportionate measures. The five should be on bail and would be [but for] the state prosecutor’s [assertion] that they are members of a criminal organisation. They have no criminal record, they are not accused of hurting or attempting to hurt anyone, they simply want to stop the outrageous genocide. This has been made clear in each of their opening statements and comments in court. Their focus is on the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.’
On 8 September 2026, a year from the Ulm 5’s arrest, FRFI joined protesters outside the German embassy in London, while a similar demonstration took place in Dublin.
For updates and more on how to support the Ulm 5 follow @theulm5 on Instagram
