An Irish activist is due to stand trial in Germany on Monday, April 27, over an alleged break-in at the German branch of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems Deutschland, in a case that has drawn international attention.
Daniel Tatlow-Devally, originally from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in Dublin, is one of five Berlin-based activists charged with trespass, property damage, and membership of a criminal organisation under Section 129 of the German Criminal Code. The group were arrested on September 8, 2025, following the incident at the company’s premises in Ulm.
All five defendants, who include Spanish, German, Irish and UK nationals, have been held in separate prisons for more than seven months in pre-trial detention. According to Tatlow-Devally’s family, they have spent up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, with limited 30-minute long family visits permitted fortnightly.
The trial is being held at Stuttgart-Stammheim correctional facility, a high-security site historically associated with the 1970s trials of the Red Army Faction. Defence lawyer Benjamin Düsberg has criticised the venue, arguing it risks prejudicing the case by associating the defendants with serious organised crime or terrorism.
The defence argues that the action was a form of civil disobedience aimed solely at property, intended to protest against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Lawyers describe the accused as “human rights defenders” and argue that their prolonged detention and the application of organised crime laws are disproportionate. Defence lawyers said the five were “being made an example of through disproportionate, punitive detention”.
Concerns have also been raised by Irish Lawyers for Palestine, which has submitted a complaint to UN human rights experts regarding the activists’ treatment and the broader implications for protest rights in Germany.
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A GoFundMe has been made to help cover travel costs to Germany and prison visits for the Tatlow-Devally family. If you would like to help support the Irish activist, you can do so here.
The trial is scheduled to run across 16 hearings until late July.
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