The 42-year-old German Dieter Kellouche has been imprisoned innocently in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, since September 2017. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He shares a cell without daylight with 15 other prisoners. His health is poor, but he has been denied medical help. During the entire time, the German Embassy paid him three visits.
The human rights spokesperson for the AfD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Jürgen Braun, comments on the matter:
“Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is abandoning the German Dieter Kellouche in the Arab prison. The Foreign Office has done nothing worth mentioning for Mr Kellouche. The answers to my questions are downright outrageous: the Foreign Office states that it is paying close attention to Mr Kellouche’s case and is in contact with him, and that he is receiving consular assistance, including prison visits. Mr Kellouche, on the other hand, says that the last visit by the German embassy was in February, more than a year ago. He feels abandoned, almost forgotten, by the German authorities.”
Background: Kellouche was convicted by a kangaroo court. An influential sheikh felt that Kellouche had insulted his honour. The sheikh had him arrested and negotiated the sentence with a judge. Four months ago, Kellouche went on hunger strike to gain media attention. He has not counted on help from the German embassy for a long time.
Braun says:
“What this person has gone through over the last few years is a nightmare. Kellouche told us that prisoners of other nationalities often received visits from embassy staff, and some have already been released. He, on the other hand, is also treated like a criminal by the German embassy. The Foreign Office must finally take the initiative to end Dieter Kellouche’s detention.”
https://afdkompakt.de/2021/03/31/maas-laesst-deutschen-im-arabischen-gefaengnis-im-stich/