Altogether, he has to serve 40 months. He has been sentenced for breaching the peace in relation to 1 of May 2004, and for the same paragraph for the incidents of the 12 March 2000. For this last offense he obtained a suspended sentenced, but he was called back into prison as soon as he was sentenced again in 2004.

Both sentences relate to his active resistance against 2 big marches of neo-nazis through Berlin.

He already served several months in jail because of 1 of May 2004, during which his health situation worsened.

Indeed, he suffers serious Hepatitis C, and suffered a complete lack of medical treatment during the first months of his imprisonment.
Only through the pressure of his supporters, which contributed to the breaking out of a big public scandal about Berlin's prison conditions (the medic responsible got a lot of public hassle and got removed from service) he was then able to obtain again the medicines he needed.

Even with his health situation (which means he needs serious medical treatment that is not providable within incarceration) and the fact he is studying to obtain a diploma at an adult's school, he is in prison again. It is clear that this will not help him to fight against his terminal illness.

As well, his trials have been a theatre where the cops had space to try new tactics: as example, the introduction of anonymous police witnesses, who would come armed with wigs and so on, in order to keep their identity secret.

Moreover, a new trial began on 21st of June, against him and his girlfriend, being accused of throwing a bottle at a cop during an antifascist rally in Dresden in 2005.

Once again, the only solid proof is the words of two anonymous cops.
On top of this, he was arrested a few days before his new imprisonment together with 7 other people and accused of arson, in a situation that was constructed by the police, which shows itself again as a template for groundless arrest against anybody. The reason for it is that more than 100 arsons happened to occur in Berlin within the last 5 months and the police have no clue about those responsible, therefore they try to get people clueless and try to frighten the rest.

Within the next couple of months, there will be the possibility he might be granted daytime release in order to attend his classes.

Meanwhile, you can write him letter or postcards or send info-material inside. He likes especially any anarchist or autonomous kind of publication.
For sending him books, it would be better to send it to our address and we will take care to re-direct them to him.

Christian can read german, english and get along somehow with spanish.

His current address:

Christian Sümmermann
BNR: 343/07/3
JVA Hakenfelde
Niederneuendorfer Allee 140
13587 Berlin

You can support him by sending money to this german account:

ssb e.v.
Kontonummer: 1591 9683 00
BLZ 1001 0111
Stichwort: Patenschaft Christian

We are not surprised at all about the deafness of the prison system towards his situation.

In 2006 only, more than 50 people committed suicide or died in Berlin's prisons, also following a lack of medical treatment.
Prisons serves exactly one aim: mental and physical annihilation. Christian is again one of those who will be subjected to this because he refused to bow to society's rules.

Such things as setting a barricade alight in order to stop a nazi-march, or any other form of resistance against capitalist society, are a necessary part of our daily fight towards the destruction of State and Capital.
Therefore those who get caught in the cages of the State deserve all our support to show they are not alone and their fight – as well as their means – are ours.

Towards a society without prisons

Freedom for Christian – Freedom for all!