Kurdish family seeks answers after young man’s ‘mysterious’ death in German prison

ERBIL — The brother of a young Kurdish man from Erbil, who died under mysterious circumstances in a German prison, has shared the details of his sibling’s death with 964media. According to the family, the German police had initially prepared to bury the young man’s body as an unclaimed individual before they intervened.

The incident occurred in Germany, where the 36-year-old, originally from Erbil, had been living. The young man, identified as Mohammed, reportedly died in one of the country’s correctional facilities.

Hijran Abbas Jokal, Mohammed’s brother who resides in Erbil, told 964media, “My brother Mohammed, 36, had been living in Germany. Besides him, four of my other brothers also reside in Germany. Mohammed was placed in a rehabilitation prison in Düsseldorf several months ago following an altercation.”

Jokal explained that the family had not heard from Mohammed for ten days, which led to their concern. They were later informed by an inmate that Mohammed had gone missing, prompting an investigation that ultimately revealed his death.

According to Jokal, German police handed Mohammed’s body over to the local authorities, intending to bury him as an unclaimed individual. However, after the family reached out, this process was halted.

“We don’t know who killed him or how he was killed. All we’ve been told is that he’s dead and had a head injury. Now, on Monday, my other brothers will file a complaint against the prison administration, especially since they concealed his death for 10 days and didn’t allow anyone to see him,” Jokal said.

He also mentioned that, following the review of the case, German authorities have agreed to return the body to Kurdistan for burial.