After a suicide attempt in mid-August, the defendant in the Antifa East trial, Henry, died at the age of 38. His defense attorneys had previously repeatedly warned about his threatening mental state. Questions remain about the responsibility of the judiciary.

On Saturday, October 24th, 38-year-old Henry A. died as a result of asuicide attempt, in which he was seriously injured in mid-August. He had been in a coma ever since. A. was one of seven defendants in the so-called Antifa East proceedings before the Dresden Higher Regional Court (OLG). His defense lawyers had repeatedly accused the court of holding on to the negotiations despite his known risk of suicide and thereby endangering his health.

Since November 2025, the Dresden Higher Regional Court has been hearing proceedings against seven anti-fascists on charges of having organized and carried out attacks on suspected neo-Nazis as part of a criminal organization. Henry A. is supposed to be involved in thisattackon neo-Nazis at the train station in Wurzen in February 2020.

Trial start: Antifa-Ost trial in Dresden

At the beginning of September, the case against him was finally replaced by that of the other defendantsseparated. At that point, he had already been in a coma for more than two weeks. On October 24th it was announced that he had died. This marks the end of a life that has been marked by state investigations for years and, most recently, a criminal case, the handling of his mental illness raises serious questions.

Negotiations despite mental illness

With the start of the Antifa East trial in November 2025, Henry's health deteriorated significantly. What was not publicly known at the time was the extent of his mental illness. AfterDeclarationsAccording to his defense, he suffered from a mental disorder that led him to attempt suicide, especially after severe personal blows. He also had ADHD and was dependent on sedatives. He needed therapeutic support.

Antifa East defendant in coma after suicide attempt – court ignored all warnings

Even before the trial began, Henry had to go to prison after attempting suicideclinicbe delivered. His defense therefore requested that the proceedings against him be separated. After all, most of the allegations did not directly concern him. However, the court rejected the request.

Although Henry was not in custody, he appeared regularly at the negotiations in Dresden since the trial began. He took part in the trial for 50 days, although his health continued to deteriorate.

His lawyers' requests to end individual days of the trial earlier so that he could attend the necessary therapy were also unsuccessful. As justification, the court referred to the requirement for acceleration. This is primarily intended to ensure that criminal proceedings against defendants in custody are carried out quickly.

According to available reports, the imprisoned co-defendants had expressly agreed to an earlier end to the trial days. Nevertheless, the court stuck to its line. Henry then filed a motion for bias, which was also rejected.

This left him exposed to a trial whose stress, according to his defense, was incompatible with his mental state.

Suicide attempts and a controversial assessment of ability to stand trial

In July 2026, Henry's condition worsenedConditionfurther. Because of acute self-endangerment, he was admitted to a closed psychiatric clinic. Shortly afterwards there was another suicide attempt.

According to the defense, a treating doctor recommended a three-month break in the trial to stabilize Henry's health. His lawyers requested the proceedings againto separate. They pointed out that their client was unable to take part in the main hearing and was in real danger of suicide.

The court then appointed a psychiatric doctorexperts. He came to a different assessment than the treating doctor and considered Henry to be fundamentally competent to stand trial.

According to reports of his defense testimony, Henry had theReviewerHe said that on the journey from Leipzig to Dresden he saw himself under the train rather than in the train. Despite this statement and the previous suicide attempts, the expert came to the conclusion that Henry generally had the ability to behave appropriately depending on the situation.

TheCourtfollowed this assessment. The renewed application to separate the proceedings was unsuccessful.

After the death of a close family member, another occurredSuicide attempt. Henry was again committed to a psychiatric hospital based on a court order. Nevertheless, the court initially retained the option of bringing him to the main hearing.

On August 12th, Henry was brought from the clinic in Leipzig to Dresden. According to his defense, the transport was carried out by the State Criminal Police Office without additional medical support.

According to his lawyer, Henry appeared dazed in the courtroom and was under the influence of the sedative Tavor, which had been prescribed for him by a doctor. His defense lawyers criticized the treatment of their client as undignified and called for a new assessment of his ability to stand trial. This application was also rejected.

Just three days later, on August 15th, the next and final suicide attempt occurred. He suffered serious injuries and has not woken up from his coma since.

“This should never have happened like this”

Even after Henry's suicide attempt and his admission to hospital, the proceedings initially remained the subject of further legal proceedingsConsiderations. Even though he was in a coma, he wanted thatDresden Higher Regional CourtAfter the reports, he first had his ability to stand trial assessed again.

The case against him only took place on September 2ndseparated. By this point it had long been clear that he could no longer take part in the trial.

The defense made serious allegations against the court. The Berlin lawyer Felix Isensee, one of Henry's defense lawyers, accused the State Security Senate and in particular its presiding judge of being partly responsible for his client's health.

Even if court decisions could be based on the requirements of criminal procedure law, the court must fulfill its duty of care towards a defendant, explained Isensee. He stuck to his criticism even after Henry's death.

When asked by the MDR, the Dresden Higher Regional Court initially did not comment on the allegations.

What responsibility the judges have for dealing with a person whose mental illness and repeated suicide attempts were known remains a central open question.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts yourself or are worried about someone close to you, get support. TheTelephone pastoral careis free and available 24 hours a day116 123reachable. If there is acute danger, please dial112.

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