Geoffrey Bindman recalls a disturbing encounter with German criminal justice
In the early hours of 18 January 1996 a refugee hostel in a suburb of the ancient north German city of Lubeck was destroyed in an arson attack. Ten people died in the conflagration and 38 others were severely injured. This was one of a series of violent incidents linked to a resurgence of Nazism which had taken place in that part of Germany. Four skinheads with a record of neo-Nazi activity were soon arrested. One of them had recently been convicted of desecrating a Jewish cemetery. There was evidence that a car which they were known to use had been parked near the hostel not long before the fire started.
However, after questioning the suspects the police released them. A few days later they arrested Safwan Eid, a 20-year-old Lebanese resident of the hostel. He was charged with arson and murder and the prosecution proceeded in earnest. Leading Hamburg lawyer, Gabriele Heinecke, agreed to represent him.
Political background
There was a disturbing political background. Lubeck was a progressive city and had been
