DDR Child Abuse Trial Opens At Last

Following years of political tug-of-war, the abuse trial against four teachers in an East German special-needs orphanage opened in Leipzig on Monday. The four teachers are accused of having degraded and humiliated their charges for years. One of the four, still a teacher at the institution, is accused of sexual abuse. The teachers are charged with beating the children with sticks and whips, making them stand for hours with their arms outstretched, and locking them in a cellar for minor rule infractions. The trial is expected to last 18 days, and will include 50 witnesses. One of the plaintiffs is a 29-year-old man who since 1995 has claimed to be unfit for work due to the abuse.