This November marks five years since a young boy was killed by an ice sculpture at Knuedler winter market. To this day, the prospect of a trial remains uncertain.

As the Christmas markets in Luxembourg reopen one after the other, the emotions of the Ragbet family come flooding back.

On 24 November 2019, the little boy of almost 3 years was killed by an ice sculpture. Around this sad anniversary, the family is trying to draw attention to the fate of their son Emran, which is why they turned to RTL. According to father Hamza Ragbet, they have still not received any answers.

"It happened, and we know that nobody intended for it to happen. But my whole family goes upside down when the anniversary approaches, and all the images come up. We just want to know what went wrong via a trial. I just couldn't live with the fact that I may have made a mistake, or my son. We just want answers to try and get closure."

Potential trial in 2025?

RTL asked about the possibility of a trial, to which the public prosecutor's office responded that the incident has moved into a new phase after it had published a statement in October 2023. Ten of the 11 defendants are due to appear before a criminal court.

Shortly before the Council Chamber issued its order, the lawyer for one of the defendants requested additional investigative measures in March 2024. The Council Chamber then decided to refer the case back to the public prosecutor's office or the examining magistrate, in response to the lawyer's request.

The examining magistrate refused the request. The party concerned has appealed. It is now up to the Court of Appeal's Council Chamber to decide whether this refusal should be confirmed or whether the requested duties should be examined further. A decision is expected in January. Until then, it is not clear whether or when a trial will take place, according to the public prosecutor's office.

The examining magistrate in charge of the case already wanted to close the case in July 2022, according to RTL's article from the summer of 2023.

Incomprehension about long length of the procedure

"We can't understand why justice needs so much time," says Hamza Ragbet.

"As a family, we feel like no one is interested any more. In other countries, a trial takes place more quickly. Here, many things have been blocked for the past five years," Ragbet continues.

At the end of the interview, Ragbet notes that his family had been left practically on their own from the start. Initially, they had to take all the steps alone. The family has lost its energy and hopes that there will soon be a trial.