German court fines 4 in refugee abuse case

A German court on Wednesday fined four people for mistreating refugees at an asylum center in the small western town of Burbach, broadcaster NDR reported.

The case sparked outrage when cellphone footage of the abuse became public in late 2014.

The court in the western city of Siegen ordered three former guards at the asylum center and a social worker to pay fines ranging from €900 to €3,500 ($1,065-$4,100) for deprivation of liberty. 

One of the four tried Wednesday was also convicted of coercion.

What is the case against the guards?

The security guards physically and verbally abused refugees in a "problem room," where they were illegally locked up for days for allegedly violating the house rules, the court said. 

In nine incidents, the guards had put refugees in this room to "discipline" them for minor infractions such as smoking in their rooms, according to the verdict.

What happened at the asylum center?

The scandal sent shock waves through Germany when the gruesome footage became public.

In one of the leaked photos, a security guard posed with his foot on the neck of a handcuffed refugee, who had been beaten unconscious before the photo was taken.

Other footage showed a refugee being forced to lie on a mattress stained with vomit.

In November 2018, the trial began against 38 defendants, including guards, social workers and city employees. The court handed down sentences against 14 of them.

The court also acquitted six defendants and dismissed five. Eight independent trials are still ongoing.

The company European Home Care (EHC) had operated the refugee facility at the time of the abuse. The German Red Cross took over operations at the refugee facility after the scandal.

fb/sms (AFP, EPD)