After the Dresden Higher Regional Court denied the accused Henry A. therapy for months and ignored multiple suicide attempts, the anti-fascist is now in a coma. Nevertheless, the court wanted to continue to examine his fitness to stand trial.

Since November 2025, seven anti-fascists have been being tried in the Dresden Higher Regional Court (OLG). They are accused of having organized and carried out attacks on fascists as part of the so-called “Antifa-Ost”. The case against 38-year-old Henry A. – one of the seven anti-fascists – has now been separated. The reason: He is in the hospital after a suicide attempt and is unresponsive.

The federal prosecutor's office filed charges against Henry A. and the six other anti-fascists in May 2025. You are accused of membership in a criminal organization. Some of them even attempted murder. Between 2018 and 2019 they shouldnine attacks on suspected fascistscommitted in Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and finally Budapest. Right from the start of the trial, the defense doubted that the trial would be fair. She described the accusation of attempted murder as exaggerated and the accusation of a criminal organization as fabricated. Over the months, the doubts proved to be justified.

Trial start: Antifa-Ost trial in Dresden

Years of harassment by state security

Henry A. has been on the radar of Saxon repressive authorities since 2013 – over a decade. He was investigated over ten years ago on flimsy grounds on suspicion of forming a criminal organization. For example, a fan Christmas market for BSG Chemie Leipzig – a football club of which he was managing director – was reinterpreted as a way to raise money for his alleged criminal organization.

As part of the investigation, A. was observed, his contacts were recorded and his phones were monitored. Conversations with journalists, doctors and lawyers were also recorded. The proceedings were finally discontinued in 2016. The fact that the Saxon authorities acted beyond their authorityAndreas Schurig also felt this, Saxony's data protection officer at the time, and criticized the authorities' actions.

Over the last decade, Henry has repeatedly been targeted by state security. Proceedings were initiated in which he and those around him were monitored and house searches were carried out. Ultimately, the proceedings were discontinued.

Six months in prison for refusing to testify in the Antifa East trial

Forced admissions, suicide attempts, denied therapy

The Antifa-Ost trial has now reached a new climax. What was not known to the public at the time of the indictment was how ill Henry was. Now his lawyers have agreed to the announcement. LoudTaz informationThe 38-year-old suffers from a mental disorder that causes him to attempt suicide when strokes of fate occur. He also lives with ADHD, which is why he relies on the sedative Tavor and goes to therapy. Even before the trial began, Henry went to a clinic because of a suicide attempt.

At the same time, his defense submitted an application to the Higher Regional Court to separate his trial because the vast majority of the allegations did not concern him at all. The court rejects the application. Henry - who, unlike four co-defendants, is not in custody - has always reliably come to the negotiations for over 50 days of the trial. Requests from his lawyers to shorten the negotiations on certain days so that he could take part in necessary therapy were also rejected.

The reason given by the Senate was the acceleration requirement, according to which a criminal trial in which the defendant is in custody must be carried out with the greatest possible speed. The co-defendants in custody - for whose protection the speeding up requirement was supposed to exist - had expressly agreed to an earlier end to the trial days. Vain. Because the acceleration requirement would not be at their discretion. Henry then filed a motion for bias. Again without success.

Henry's condition continues to worsen: in mid-July he is admitted to a closed psychiatric hospital because of acute self-endangerment. Shortly afterwards he attempted suicide. A treating doctor then recommended a break in the trial of three months, sparking a dispute about his ability to stand trial. When Henry's lawyers again filed an application to separate the proceedings because the client was unable to take part in the trial and was in real danger of suicide, the court commissioned its own expert.

As the Taz reports, Henry is said to have told the expert, according to his lawyers, that on a journey from Leipzig to Dresden he saw himself “more under the train than in the train”. Despite the suicide attempts and medical recommendations, the expert believes he has the ability to stand trial on the grounds that he still has “fundamentally the ability to behave appropriately in relation to the situation”.

Germany and the USA: Common strategies against “Antifa”?

After the death of a close family member, another suicide attempt occurs. Henry is again forcibly committed to a clinic by the court and is no longer allowed to leave voluntarily. Nevertheless, the court assumes that he will be able to continue to stand trial. The court again rejected another application for separation.

On August 12th, the police took him from the clinic to the Dresden courtroom. Defense attorney Felix Isensee reports that he felt “really bad” that day and that the officers were not informed that his client was taking Tavor and that they had to have emergency medication ready. The lawyer criticized the behavior in the courtroom as irresponsible and called for a senior report on Henry's ability to stand trial. The application is – surprise – rejected. At the end of the trial day, Henry is taken back to the clinic.

“This should never have happened like this”

Just three days later, on Saturday afternoon at 1:35 p.m., Henry was run over by an S-Bahn in Leipzig and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. But even when Henry was in a coma, the court maintained his illusion: despite all the circumstances, it demanded an opinion on his fitness to stand trial.

Budapest complex: Anti-fascist Gino is to be extradited to Germany

“That should never have happened like that,” said lawyer Isensee. "It is completely incomprehensible why the court wanted to take the devil's action against our client. Even though it was clear to everyone how badly he was doing and how endangered he was."

On September 2nd, press spokeswoman Meike Schaaf finally announced, when asked, that the Senate had separated the proceedings against Henry. "What happened to Henry A. shakes us deeply. He attempted suicide on August 15, 2026, was seriously injured and has been in a coma ever since. His further fate is uncertain. Our condolences go out to him and his relatives. The main hearing will now continue without him, but will be marked by his absence," the defense lawyers explained in court on September 8th.

The postAntifa East defendant in coma after suicide attempt – court ignored all warningsappeared firstperspective.