Two on Trial for Beating

The incident, which is alleged to have been racially motivated, provoked a storm of protests demanding tougher action against racist violence, especially in the economically depressed eastern Germany.

The 37-year-old victim named only as Ermyas M. is an Ethiopian-born engineer and father of two who has been living in Germany since 1987. He was found unconscious and seriously injured at a tram stop in the city of Potsdam in the early morning of April 16 last year.

Two suspects were arrested by police and are now standing trial on charges of insult, inflicting severe bodily harm and denial of assistance. However, they continue to deny having beaten Ermyas M. in spite of the fact that one of the suspects has been linked to the crime scene via DNA analysis of blood traces.

Growing doubts

Meanwhile, doubts are also growing as to whether the beating was racially motivated.

"According to the evidence available and the testimonies of witnesses, we cannot really speak of an unprovoked attack as a result of anti-foreigner sentiments," Matthias Schöneburg.

Schöneburg claims that Ermyas M. provoked the attack.

Ermyas M. is said to have consumed a lot of alcohol the evening of his beating. Police also said that prior to the attack, he was involved in a brawl at a disco and later got into a shouting match with a bus driver.

Investigators have been able to piece together the course of events at the tram station from a recording of the attack on the voice mail box of the victim's wife, whom Ermyas M. had tried to phone.

The recording led to the arrest of the two suspects known as Björn L. and Thomas M. It suggests that they first insulted the Ethiopian-born man as a "dirty nigger."

After that, Ermyas M. is said to have also shouted insults and tried to kick one of the suspects before receiving a blow that knocked him to the ground and fractured his skull.

Cautious assessment

Almuth Berger, former commissioner for foreigners affairs in the state of Brandenburg, said that one cannot overlook the element of racism in the attack. At the same time, she said cautious assessment is necessary in the case.

"It’s not good to hype up this trial so much among the public," she said.

"But it's also not good to play down the incident as a brawl among drunken people that has nothing to do with anti-foreigner sentiments," she added.

Heated debate about racism

Soon after the attack, a heated debate about racism, especially in economically depressed eastern regions of Germany, broke out in the country.

Jörg Schönbohm, interior minister of the State of Brandenburg, where Potsdam is located, lambasted top federal prosecutor Kay Nehm for taking charge of the investigation, saying it would stigmatize the region.

Federal interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble also came under criticism when he dismissed a racist motive by saying that blond and blue-eyed people were also victims of violence.

Last year in Potsdam, thousands of people staged demonstrations expressing their solidarity with Ermyas M.

In the meantime, Nehm has referred the case back to the court in Potsdam.

The trial is expected to last until the end of April, during which the testimonies of more than 60 witnesses and experts will be heard.