The judge handling the case of Marwa el-Sherbini’s murder expressed skepticism over the medical report the court received from the Russian army two days ago, which commented on the mental conditions on the defendant.
"I doubt I can accept such information," the judge said of the report.
El-Sherbini, an Egyptian-born mother and pharmacist living in Germany, was stabbed to death in a courtroom last July. The murder trial began last month.
During yesterday’s session the judge rebuffed a request by defense lawyers to postpone the session for one week, giving them time to study the report. The judge ordered attendants to leave the courtroom, except for the judges, the psychiatrist, and the defense teams.
Both the prosecution and el-Sherbini’s husband told the judge that the Russian report dates back to 2001, making it difficult to summon witnesses to verify or deny its findings. The court, they argued, possesses a present medical report of the defendant’s mental status that has been conducted after the murder by a psychiatrist commissioned by the court. This report said the defendant suffered some mental disorders, but not schizophrenia as the Russian report claimed.
A French lawyer who volunteered to join el-Sherbini’s legal team said that the judge’s doubts are convincing. "Everything is buyable in Russia," said the French lawyer.
Head of the Lawyers Syndicate Hamdi Khalifa, who volunteered to work for el-Sherbini in the trial, called Al-Masry Al-Youm from Dresden, saying that what matters most is the time the crime was committeed. He added that the defendant gave logical answers when questioned by the court. The defendant also admitted to being a neo-Nazi.
El-Sherbini’s family was concerned by the report. Her brother Tareq said he is now unsure how the trial will end.
On another hand, Dresden’s local council decided to postpone the annual carnival with the verdict expected to be announced soon.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
