The persecution of Reiner Fuelmich

BAM! News,

12 October, 2023

Is Reiner Fuellmich being persecuted? Read his exclusive testimony on the conditions of his detention inside Rosdorf high security prison. Statement delivered by Kerstin Heusinger, German correspondent for BAM!, with her original sketches and photos taken in the courtroom.

On Reiner Fuellmich's court days, 7am:

"Security guards heavily armed with pistols and machine guns, wearing bulletproof vests, take charge of me. They try to convince me to put on a bulletproof vest, which I systematically refuse. They then insist I sign a waiver exonerating them from responsibility should I be shot or killed.

One of the guards subjects me to a body search, then forces me to kneel on a stool while he shackles my feet. 

He then ties a wide leather belt around my waist, puts handcuffs on my wrists and secures them to the belt with chains and a large padlock.

The cuffs on my feet force me to take very small steps, making it difficult to get in and out of the transport vehicle. If I were to stumble while shackled, I wouldn't be able to protect my fall and would probably break my wrists.

Prison officers told me that they have never seen a defendant charged with a misdemeanor (meaning not a serious crime nor a terrorist act) spend more than 11 months in remand, be kept in solitary confinement and, above all, be brought to court shackled hand and foot.

Upon my arrival at the courthouse, I'm taken to the basement, into a tiled cell with a simple wooden bench, dubbed "the cellar". Another body search. I then wait to be taken to the courtroom, still restrained. Whenever there is an interruption in the hearings, I'm again handcuffed and taken down "to the cellar".

Each time I return from court, they take me to a transit room and make me undress fully, for a thorough body search.

Harassment, Humiliations, Punishments 

Mr D, deputy director in charge of pre-trial detention, ordered I be remanded to  solitary confinement, under the pretence that the legal advice I was giving to the other detainees might incite them to rise up.

Rosdorf prison is divided into two sectors: convict detention (400 inmates) and pre-trial detention (80 inmates), where I have been incarcerated since October 13, 2023.

Remand prisoners are divided into 4 levels. Those considered particularly dangerous or vulnerable are placed in solitary confinement on level A0, which is subject to reinforced security and additional restrictions. This is where I’m detained.

My solitary confinement began on the weekend of my birthday. It was lifted a few days later, then reinstated. Since June 10, 2024, I've been in constant isolation.

In this section, there are no opportunities for sports or religious services. No contact with other inmates from sections A1 to A3 is allowed.

As all inmates on level A0, I am strictly forbidden to speak to another inmate.

For the past 11 months, I've had no Internet access, no computer and no laptop. I'm only allowed television. My only contact with the outside world is my lawyer and 3 monthly hours of visits or phone calls with my family. Yes, 3 hours a month overall.

My isolation goes so far that I have to take my daily walk in the yard alone. This hour's walk is suspended if I'm caught communicating with another inmate, even with a wave of the hand. Yes, if I exchange a greeting, even a nod, with a fellow inmate through the bars of a window, both he and I are immediately punished.

Disciplinary sanctions are applied without justification or the possibility of appeal. 

All Guilty!

The treatment of remand prisoners is particularly harsh, bordering on torture.

Mr D, who manages pre-trial detention and also acts as a social worker, makes no secret of his convictions: he believes that to be in remand is to be guilty.

His disregard for the presumption of innocence is the main reason for my placement in solitary confinement.

He has committed serious and intentional violations in his duties, which I witnessed. These violations have been covered up by the management. As for the security guards, with two exceptions, they carry out the orders they receive without question, like robots.

On August 8, 2024, I requested a meeting with the prison’s deputy warden. I informed her that during my absence for court hearings, personal items and documents had disappeared from my cell. Cells are normally searched on a regular basis, in accordance with the prison's rules. These thefts occurred outside the scope of official inspections, for which a report must be drawn up. 

Persecutions: Reiner relates the Case of Kevin Redzep

"The utter gravity of the situation is revealed by the assaults suffered by a remand prisoner, Kevin Redzep, who ended up seriously injured. He has given me permission to make his name and story public. He is originally from Montenegro, and although he is intelligent and speaks several languages, he cannot write or read German fluently. He had been placed in a unit with several inmates who were violent or accused of voluntary manslaughter. His fellow inmates called him a "gypsy". He had received threats and asked for help from Mr. D, who refused to place him with the vulnerable inmates. The next day, three fellow inmates armed with a glass bottle attacked Kevin Redzep during the promenade. His head was so severely injured that the zygomatic bone above his left eye was broken, endangering his vision.

On July 9, 2024, Kevin Redzep had to undergo surgery. He then returned to Rosdorf prison before he had fully recovered. There, another physical altercation took place with five or six prison officers, who threw him to the ground. He was again wounded in the head. Mr. D finally placed Kevin Redzep, who was already severely traumatized, into solitary confinement.

Kevin Redzep had asked me for help and wanted to sue Mr D, the prison and the state of Lower Saxony for assault and battery. When Mr D learned that I had advised him and provided him with a lawyer, Kevin Redzep disappeared. I assume he has been transferred to another prison. However, Katja Wörmer, my lawyer, has been trying to locate him ever since, in vain, hoping that he is still alive."

Glimmers of Hope

Despite the disciplinary sanctions they face, my inmates are showing solidarity with me. They encourage me and shout: "Don't give up! Keep going!".

Some prison officers have realized that the pandemic was a scam and that my trial is a sham, orchestrated by the intelligence services. They stand by me and wish me a favorable outcome.

What helps me the most is the intense international support.

I receive a huge number of letters, which the prison administration doesn't even bother to filter any more. I read all the letters and I'm infinitely touched by the affection they show. I try to respond as best I can.

Sometimes I catch glimpses of support vigils, and people waving to me as I pass in the transport vehicle to the courthouse.

I feel a remarkably strong bond with all those who support me. It is this bond that will enable us, together, to overcome adversity.

I am required to get a medical exam twice a week, because I refused to have my blood drawn. I argued that, without consent from the patient, any medical act, even more so an invasive medical act, represents a violation of physical integrity. I am therefore regularly examined, as one of the prisoners had tuberculosis and could have contaminated other inmates.

One of the prison doctors expressed his sympathy for my work. He also explained to me that the medical staff felt that the state of health of a large number of inmates was not compatible with their remand. However, the prison management prefers to ignore this reality.

Having personally witnessed what happens in pre-trial detention - the suspension of the defendants' fundamental rights, difficulties accessing defense which truly cares about their fate - I'm now convinced that prisons only benefit those who make a profit from them. Besides, pre-trial detention is more lucrative than convict detention.

I haven't met any remand prisoner I'd describe as a "bad guy". I have met several pre-trial detainees who seem to me to be innocent or who, according to a prison doctor, need treatment above all else.

If we didn't still need a few prisons for a small group of sociopaths, for instance those responsible for the pandemic, wars, massacres like those in Gaza, and for the corruption within the system, I'd be for the abolition of prisons altogether."

Statement recorded by Reiner Fuellmich on the phone of his lawyer, Katja Wörmer, translated from German to French by Kerstin Heusinger.

Article concept, design and editing by Michel Caulea and KAro.

English version by KAro & Katiouchka.