The German writer Jörg Albrecht was invited to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair to participate in an exchange programme. On the day of his arrival he left his hotel to go for a walk and take some photos. Unfortunately, he appears to have unwittingly photographed the wrong thing, namely the Iraqi and Iranian embassies. He was arrested on the street and held by the secret police for three days, then released but not allowed to leave the country. He was not granted access to a lawyer while in prison, nor were his friends able to find him. He has still not been charged and is still in a hotel, alone.
You can read an interview with him at Die Zeit (12.05.14) listen to an interview with his editor at WDR3 (11.05.14), read a press release by his publishing house Wallstein Verlag and sign a petition appealing to the UAE Minister of Culture at change.org.
I hope he is allowed to return home as soon as possible, although according to his interview he does not expect action from the court until next week.
1 comment:
Absolutely ridiculous, but as a former resident I am able to confirm that the system puzzles many residents, national and expat alike :-(
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