Dieter Kellouche freed from Sharjah prison
German national Dieter Kellouche was jailed in Sharjah for offending a Sheikh. He suffered outrageous treatment that led him to go on...
German national Dieter Kellouche was jailed in Sharjah for offending a Sheikh. He suffered outrageous treatment that led him to go on hunger strike. German ministers accused the government of “abandoning” Dieter, neglecting to even visit him for over a year and failing to escalate diplomatic conversations after Dieter was hospitalised with a broken foot caused by a violent cellmate.
His powerful opponent seemed to have autonomy over the court system in Sharjah with judges not even considering defence materials. “This is standard in the UAE”, explains Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai who assisted the then 42 year old. “Most lawyers won’t even represent a client against a ruler or member of the royal family. In Dieter’s case, the German government eventually provided assistance and with the media attention, the Sheikh provided a statement that he would drop the allegations but this by no means compensates Dieter for the nearly five years he spent in prison”.