More challenges for alleged bias. And: no trial tomorrow or next week.

The trial could not continue with the closing statements of victims and their counsel today since the judges tasked with deciding on the various defense challenges against several judges for alleged bias had not been able to reach decisions on all challenges.

However, the presiding judge had to hold a trial session today as the trial may only be interrupted for up to three weeks. He therefor ordered that the trial be continued today in order for the court to inform the accused of potential changes in the legal qualification of the alleged facts and similar issues. Such information was then in fact provided by the court, it is in line with the motions brought by the prosecution in its closing statement and is of no particular significance here.

In the trial breaks, the Eminger and Wohlleben defenses brought further obviously contrived challenges for alleged bias.

As the court will have to decide on all these challenges before the closing statements of victims and victims’ counsel can begin, the trial days scheduled for tomorrow and next week have been canceled. As no trial days had been scheduled for the week after that, the trial will only continue on 24 October 2017.