Instructing, recording, handing out copies – expert opinion on Zschäpe delayed once more

The entire trial day was wasted on the attempts by Zschäpe’s assigned counsel to further delay the oral expert opinion by psychiatrist Prof. Saß.

Defense counsel first replied to the federal prosecution’s comments of yesterday on their motions. The presiding judge then proceeded to give very general instructions to the expert witness – e.g. instructing him to differentiate clearly between subjective opinions and objective facts. Faced with a motion to hand out a paper copy of his instructions, he refused, but offered to read them out more slowly – a rather peculiar handling of the situation in a case in which every last note to parties is handed out in paper form. 

The trial day ended in the early afternoon. Next Tuesday, the court will decided on (i.e.: reject) the defense motion that the expert opinion be recorded. After that, the court is planning to finally hear the expert witness. No other program has been planned for next week.