Murder of 16-year-old: Asylum seeker with psychological problems arrested!

Murder of 16-year-old: Asylum seeker with psychological problems arrested!

A shocking incident has caused a stir in Göttingen in recent days. On Friday, a 31-year-old man, a rejected asylum seeker from Iraq, was arrested after he was suspected of intentionally pushing a 16-year-old girl against a passing train at Friedland train station. A serious homicide was reported to the homicide squad shortly after the young people's death, as the public prosecutor's office assumed it was a murder due to the circumstances. Investigators agree that it is unlikely that it was simply an accident, as the 16-year-old was on the phone when the incident occurred and crashed into the side of the train, according to [Göttinger Tageblatt](https://www.goettinger-tageblatt.de/lokales/goettingen-lk/goettingen/maedchen-in-friedland-getoetet-nach-festnahme-soll-gutachten-soll- Schuldfaehigkeit-klaeren-OLYBPUGTUJGQXBX54YLCUHCC5U.html) reported.

The suspect had previously been found at the train station after he had rioted several times. However, there were initially no urgent reasons for arrest, so he was temporarily released. But the man attracted attention again when he was taken to the Friedland border transit camp. There he showed psychological abnormalities and was admitted to the Asklepios Clinic. Only DNA traces found on the injured teenager's body led to his later arrest. This DNA sample came from a previous case and played a central role in identifying the suspect, who is currently in a correctional center and is remaining silent about the allegations.

Psychiatric report and legal action

A psychiatric report on the 31-year-old's culpability will soon be obtained. He has previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which raises questions about his guilt at a possible trial. In the meantime, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens commented on the Dublin rules, which regulate the distribution of asylum seekers in Germany and Europe. Behrens emphasized the urgency of dealing with the existing problems of the Dublin procedure in order to find viable solutions and warned of the danger that the tragic incident could be exploited to foment xenophobia and hatred, as [Göttinger Tageblatt](https://www.goettinger-tageblatt.de/lokales/goettingen-lk/goettingen/maedchen-in-friedland-getoetet-nach-festnahme-soll-gutachten-soll- Schuldfaehigkeit-klaeren-OLYBPUGTUJGQXBX54YLCUHCC5U.html) reported.

The Dublin procedure, which ensures that asylum applications are only examined in one EU member state, reveals many shortcomings after the 2015-2016 refugee crisis. This issue is relevant not only for the asylum seekers affected, but also for the security situation in the Member States. The EU Commission has since presented reform proposals to fundamentally revise the Dublin procedure and optimize the relevant official processes, as [BAMF](https://www.bamf.de/DE/Themen/AsylFluechtlingsschutz/AblaufAsylverfahrens/Dublin procedure/dublin procedure-node.html) reports.

The challenges of the Dublin Regulation

The Dublin system, which has existed since 1990, was originally introduced to regulate the examination of asylum applications and avoid multiple applications. However, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that it has significant weaknesses. While the number of asylum applications in the EU exploded between 2012 and 2016, the implementation of the Dublin Regulation remained inefficient. Only a small proportion of the transfers were actually carried out, and the return of people not entitled to asylum also proved difficult, as the analyzes by the European Parliament show.

The current situation, in which tragic incidents surrounding the issues of asylum and migration are occurring, raises important questions about the threat to the fundamental rights of asylum seekers. In particular, the protection of the rights of children and unaccompanied minors must be placed at the center of reform efforts. Responsibility for the implementation of the Dublin Regulation must be shared more fairly and increased cooperation between Member States is essential to address the challenges competently and humanely.