Clans in Berlin: Journalist assaulted in court
On December 17, 2024, a concerning incident occurred in the corridor of the Administrative Court in Berlin, located on Kirchstraße in the Moabit district, during a session in a case related to the Foreigners Act against a member of the well-known Al-Zein family in the German capital.
During the coverage of the session, a journalist tried to get a comment from the relatives of the accused, which did not sit well with Fadi, the nephew of the accused at the time. Suddenly, Fadi threw a strong punch to the journalist's face, which later led him to appear before the court.
According to a statement from the Kammergericht court, Fadi, 42, said during his trial for intentional bodily harm that he felt disturbed by the journalist filming him and claimed that his action was a reflexive reaction. However, the affected journalist did not accept his apology, and the judge found that what he did could not be justified in any way.
On June 11, the court issued a ten-month prison sentence without suspension. The judge explained that the incident represents "an attack on press freedom," which is something that cannot be tolerated. She also noted that the defendant has a criminal record, which ruled out the possibility of granting a suspension, emphasizing that there are no indications of a positive change in his future behavior.
So far, the ruling has not become final, as Fadi Z still has a week to file an appeal or request a judicial review.