A German court has upheld a verdict against multiple individuals involved in a fatal accident in Bavaria, Germany. The Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, or BGH) rejected the appeals filed by the defendants, stating that the review of the verdict did not uncover any legal errors that would have benefited the appellants.
The regional court in Traunstein had previously convicted the defendants of human trafficking resulting in death, in six cases and of attempted human trafficking in 13 cases, in furtherance of the main offense. The organizer of the human trafficking operation was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while the two other co-perpetrators received sentences of five years in prison and five years in juvenile detention, respectively.
According to the findings of the regional court, the organizer had planned a human trafficking operation from Vienna to Germany, involving the transportation of 22 Turkish and Syrian nationals in a small truck with only nine regular seats. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver attempted to evade the control, leading to a crash that resulted in multiple passengers being ejected from the vehicle, with some suffering fatal injuries. The driver, who was the only one wearing a seatbelt, suffered only minor injuries.
The regional court’s verdict is now final, as per the BGH’s decision on May 27, 2025, in case number 1 StR 124/25.