Maltreatment in refugee home Burbach

In the trial of abused refugees in an emergency shelter in Burbach, the Siegen district court acquitted two employees of the Arnsberg district government. The decision had fallen on Wednesday, said a court spokesman - for lack of evidence.

In the process, which has been going on for over a year, the two men were accused of deprivation of liberty by omission. They are said to have known, according to the indictment, that in so-called problem rooms, refugees were detained and mistreated. The two officials had denied that.

One of the acquitted remained active in the district government, said a spokesman for the authorities. The other was eliminated due to age. According to the indictment, they had their office temporarily facing one of the so-called problem rooms - and thus aware of the local operations.

Ten convictions and three acquittals

In the process, however, the court spokesman said that the refugees were brought to these rooms, especially in the evenings and at night, ie outside the service of the two authorities. Two witnesses, who had charged the men in the preliminary investigation, also rowed back in the criminal proceedings.

Home managers, security guards and social workers are reported to have tortured and beaten residents who violated house rules for months until September 2014 in "problem rooms". In the trial, which is expected to take place until the summer of 2020, 38 people were initially charged.

The cases of more than 20 defendants are still to be negotiated. So far there have been ten convictions, three acquittals and two attitudes. Among the convicts was also the home director - he received a suspended sentence of 15 months. Several lawsuits had segregated the court and offered the indicted defendant milder and premature sentences.

Most recently, a security guard was sentenced to eight months in prison on probation for abuse in the refugee home in August. The Siegen district court found him guilty of deprivation of liberty and dangerous bodily injury. The defendant admitted, among other things, that he had locked up refugees.