The family of Dublin man Daniel Tatlow-Devally have said that his rights are not being respected by the German authorities.
This week marks a year since Tatlow-Devally and four other pro-Gaza activists were arrested for causing damage to an arms factory in Germany with ties to the Israeli military.
On September 8, 2025, Tatlow-Devally, along with activists from the UK, Spain/Argentina and Germany, were arrested by German authorities after being accused of causing over €1 million in damage to a factory owned by Elbit Systems Deutschland.
The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms producer.
Family members of the Ulm 5 say that the ongoing trial is “rife with procedural irregularities.”
Recalling being taken into custody, Tatlow-Devally said “the cells where we were held had a bare plastic mattress, a fluorescent light that could not be turned off, and a hole in the ground with a minuscule trickle of water that served as a toilet.”
“There was no soap, no washing facilities, and no toilet paper,” he said of his treatment within the German prison system.
He said that prior to the Ulm 5’s first appearance in court, he was not able to get in contact with his legal representation.
“At multiple points, I requested to make a call that would put me in touch with my legal representation. I was told repeatedly that this would happen later.
“I made the same request to place a call to my father to inform him of my whereabouts. I received the same answer. In the case of my legal representation, ‘later’ meant two weeks after the day of my arrest. In the case of my family, it meant four weeks.”
Mimi Tatlow-Golden, the mother of Daniel Tatlow-Devally, said “a year is an extraordinary amount of time to have your child held in prison without a verdict.”
“We have spent the past year living around Daniel’s detention and this 8-month trial. We are exhausted but our determination has not waned.”
“This has taken over our lives, but we are still free. Daniel is still in there, so we keep going,” she said.
Clara Tatlow-Devally, sister of Daniel Tatlow-Devally said “a year in prison and nearly six months into the trial and it feels like almost no progress has been made.”
“It is disappointing and painful to watch the court process, where it feels like the defence is not being heard. Almost every request put forward by the defence is denied, and rights that my brother and the Ulm5 are promised under European law are infringed upon each day the trial takes place.”
“Daniel is wrongly presented to the court as though they are dangerous: separated from their lawyers behind a thick glass wall, in handcuffs, led by security. I know the person behind the glass – my older brother, who I love dearly and miss every day. I know my brother is strong – I know that Daniel is resilient, resourceful and resolute.”
She revealed, “I am also really worried; there has been a year of 23 hours a day isolation in a tiny cell, and counting.”
Tatlow-Devally’s father, barrister Conor Devally, said that his son was not being tried in accordance with European norms.
“I recognise that the combination of spurious reasons for denying bail, the repressive terms of detention and the mode and conduct of their trial leave no doubt but that the accused are being subjected to pre-emptive punishment, and are not being tried in accordance with European norms or acceptable impartiality.”
Members of the Ulm 5
Jem Golden, stepdad of Tatlow-Devally, said that the treatment of his step-son is “cruel.”
“I have attended most days of the trial since May; the two most enduring impressions of the trial would be first and foremost the resilience, compassion, outrage, good humour and implacable righteousness of the five which bursts into life as soon as they come into the courtroom.”
“Their cruel treatment and abuses by the German state to me seem only to have reinforced their heartfelt conviction and empathy, not weaken their resolve,” Golden said.
“Because Daniel and I share a very playful bond and always have, I started doing a little Rocky Horror Picture Show/Tim Curry tribute dance from time to time when he is brought in, only to encourage their lovely smile.”
Golden said, “I consider the Ulm5 to be beautiful, brave mavericks. The other impression is the ‘infrastructure of impunity’ that this courtroom and judges and prosecutors are desperate to maintain.”
They said, “I almost feel embarrassed by the court’s heavy-handed tactics designed to show strength; and yet the chamber’s unease is palpable the longer this trial is going on.”
Nicky Robertson, mother of Zo Hailu, a British activist also standing trial, asked “which is wrong: the act of supporting genocide, or the act of trying to prevent a genocide?”
“Which is wrong: producing weapons use to target refugee camps, to burn children and their parents alive, or trying to prevent these weapons from reaching Gaza?”
“Attempting to brand young activists of conscience as criminals in my opinion is cowardly,” she said.
Local Fine Gael TD Barry Ward said that the trial “falls short of the minimum standards we expect for fair trials.”
In August, Ward, along with politicians from opposition parties, visited the trial in Germany.
Ward, a qualified legal professional, said “there must be the outward expression of fairness and equality within the courtroom; What I saw in Stammheim did not show that.”
The Fine Gael TD said, “I am not here to condone the actions of Daniel or the Ulm 5, but I believe strongly in the rule of law, minimum standards of prison conditions and fair trial procedures.”
“A criminal prosecution is entirely appropriate, but in accordance with human rights and fair trial norms,” he explained.
“I have 20 years of experience as a barrister and senior counsel, visiting people in prison and representing them in criminal trials; I intend to use that experience to assess what I have been told about the way Daniel has been, and is being, treated by the German criminal justice system” the Dún Laoghaire TD said.
Fellow Dún Laoghaire TD Richard Boyd Barrett said that the German treatment of the Ulm 5 is akin to a “show trial.”
“We went to Germany because we were gravely concerned by accounts of the trial and the conditions of detention for Daniel and the other activists. Having visited Daniel in prison and witnessed the manner in which the trial is being conducted, I am convinced this is a show trial where the defendants are not being given a fair chance to present their defence and are being treated in a brutal, inhumane and totally unacceptable way,” Boyd Barrett said in August.
The Ulm 5 are likely to be made an example of by the German legal system.
Besides the United States, Germany is the second-largest exporter of arms to Israel, and all German political parties, ranging from the far-left to the far-right, express some form of support for Israel.
In a visit to Dublin as part of Ireland’s EU Council presidency duties, under-fire German chancellor Frederich Merz insisted that the trial was following the rule of law.
“I have absolutely no doubt that regardless of any nationality, Germany sticks to the rule of law, meets international standards – there is no doubt about this,” he told reporters.
A protest was held outside the German embassy this week, with various local politicians in attendance.
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan was among those in attendance.
She said, “it is utterly shameful that the Irish government has abandoned one of their citizens to have their rights denied during a deeply unfair trial overseas.”
“It seems that those who protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza will face far harsher measures than those actually carrying out a genocide.”