Lawyer demands conviction of a Zurich city policeman
Published: Thursday, Feb 15th 2024, 16:40
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A police stop that took place more than 14 years ago was brought before the Zurich High Court on Thursday. A 48-year-old Zurich city policeman was on trial. He is alleged to have beaten and choked a dark-skinned man.
In April 2018, the Zurich District Court acquitted the police officer and two other police officers involved in the operation of the charge of endangering life and other charges. The public prosecutor responsible also applied for acquittals at the time.
The case has not only kept the Zurich judiciary busy for some time, but also several non-governmental organizations. They are following every step of the proceedings. The "Alliance against Racial Profiling" hosted a media conference on Thursday, where they explained why they believe this is a typical case of a racially motivated police stop.
Demo before the court hearing
Dozens of sympathizers of Wilson A. gathered in front of the Zurich High Court for a rally and also accompanied him into the courtroom. A murmur of disbelief went through the courtroom when the accused police officer said that the protracted court proceedings were weighing heavily on him personally. The judge threatened to have the courtroom cleared in the event of a repeat offense.
As the public prosecutor, who agreed with the acquittals, did not appear at the appeal hearing, only the lawyer for the private plaintiff continued to demand a conviction for the police officer who was the group leader during the police check in October 2009. The acquittals of the two other police officers involved are legally binding.
Wilson A., now 50 years old, was on his way home on the streetcar one evening in October 2009 after a party with a friend who was also dark-skinned.
When a policewoman and a policeman boarded the streetcar and demanded their ID cards, the two men's good mood quickly changed. They suspected that they were only being checked because of the color of their skin.
The two policemen got off the bus with the two men at the next stop, where a third policeman was already waiting. It was the squad leader who was in court on Thursday.
From this point onwards, the accounts of the two men and the police officers diverge widely. The police officers pounced on Wilson A. for no reason, pepper-sprayed him and beat him. Finally, he was also choked, said the lawyer for private plaintiff Wilson A.
According to the police officers, Wilson A. had behaved uncooperatively and aggressively from the outset and attacked them. They therefore had to defend themselves and finally brought him to the ground with combined forces and arrested him. The reason for the check was that one of the men resembled a person who was wanted at the time.
Some of them suffered serious injuries
The result of the altercation is indisputable: Wilson A. suffered numerous injuries, which were documented by doctors. Among other things, he had a broken lumbar vertebra and a serious knee injury.
Wilson A.'s lawyer argued on Thursday that the check by the police officers had not been lawful from the outset and that it was a case of so-called racial profiling. The police officers' version of events, according to which they wanted to check whether he was a wanted person, was a purely protective claim.
However, the presiding judge made it clear: "Racial profling is not the subject of these criminal proceedings." The reason for this was that the public prosecutor responsible had assumed in the indictment that the identity check was justified. The court was no longer allowed to deviate from this assumption.
The accused police officer's lawyer also said that there was no case of racial profiling. The police officers had had to arrest the private plaintiff after he became terribly upset about the check and attacked the officers. There could be no question of an excess of violence on the part of the police officers. The acquittal must therefore be confirmed.
The court has retired to deliberate. The verdict is to be announced at 6 pm.
©Keystone/SDA
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