Eritrean man gets nearly 4 years for Stuttgart riot

Following riots at an Eritrean event in Stuttgart in September, a 29-year-old man has been sent to prison for several years, reported dpa.

A Stuttgart district court sentenced the man to three years and nine months in prison late on Thursday evening, a court spokeswoman announced on Friday. The judgement is not yet final. The Südwestrundfunk (SWR) regional public broadcaster first reported the ruling.

A 29-year-old man of Eritrean nationality was charged with a particularly serious breach of the peace and causing grievous bodily harm. He is also alleged to have assaulted police officers.

During the protests, he allegedly threw a cobblestone weighing more than 3 kilograms.

The public prosecutor's office demanded a prison sentence of four years. The defence pleaded for acquittal and argued that the man could not be clearly identified from photographs and video recordings, the court spokeswoman said.

On the afternoon of September 16 up to 200 rioting demonstrators had wielded posts and planks of wood to protest against the event in the Römerkastell, a venue on the site of a former Roman military camp, because they believed that the organizers supported Eritrean dictatorial regime.

They threw stones and bottles at police officers, provoking nationwide attention and alarm. According to the public prosecutor's office, 39 police officers were injured, some of them seriously.