March 23, 2026
Wrongfully Imprisoned
Andreas Dresen's award-winning film is based on a real-life case, which was clearly explored through an interview with the attorney involved at the time
On Thursday, March 19, the Forum Recht Foundation, in cooperation with the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court and the Karlsruhe Bar Association invited guests to a special evening of film and discussion at the Schauburg Film Theater in Karlsruhe. The program featured the award-winning drama „Rabiye Kurnaz v. George W. Bush“ on the big screen. Afterward, the retired human rights attorney impressed the audience. Bernhard Docke with a moving talk about the real-life case behind the film. From 2002 to 2006, Docke had represented Murat Kurnaz’s family as their attorney in the international legal proceedings. In addition to providing insights into that period and the making of the film, he opened up a discussion with the audience on the topics of the rule of law, justice, and human rights.
After the film, an impressive silence fell over the room—everyone waited eagerly for Bernhard Docke’s remarks. He recounted the real-life case once again, presenting the legal facts and showing original documents from the case files. Particularly striking was the information about the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba: Only people without U.S. passports were and are detained there. The prisoners were and are denied basic human rights as well as rights during the investigative proceedings. They were tortured.
Docke explained the class-action lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court, the aim of which was to place the detainees at Guantánamo under the protection of U.S. law; they were to be granted, at the very least, the right to a judicial review. This right to a judicial review was secured without being limited to the law of any specific country—such as German or Turkish law, for example.
During the proceedings, it emerged that the United States was not the only party involved in this case. Without Docke’s knowledge, he was also investigating the German federal government. The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is said to have interrogated Murat Kurnaz shortly after his arrest in Pakistan and before his transfer to Guantánamo, and to have classified him as a non-threat. However, the German government did nothing to secure his release, as Kurnaz is a Turkish citizen. This made it clear just how complex and politically charged this case is.
According to Docke, there are currently still 15 detainees at Guantánamo whose court proceedings are being delayed. He said he could only speculate as to the reasons. Furthermore, their confessions—most of which were extracted under torture—are not admissible in court.
In closing, Docke emphasized the film’s universal message: We must stand up against injustice! Justice is not a given. It must be demanded and defended time and again.
The Story Behind the Movie
Murat Kurnaz, a 19-year-old from Bremen, was arrested by U.S. authorities in Pakistan shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and taken to the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo. There, he was unlawfully detained and tortured for five years, even though U.S. and German authorities had known since 2002 that Kurnaz was innocent.
The multi-award-winning feature film „Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush“ (2022), directed by Andreas Dresen, tells the story of a housewife from Bremen and mother of Murat Kurnaz, who, together with human rights attorney Bernhard Docke, fights for her son’s release. Her journey takes her all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., to file a lawsuit against George W. Bush.
With humor, warmth, and great strength, the film depicts the two men’s struggle against the U.S. government and German authorities—in defense of the rule of law, justice, and human rights.
The German-French feature film celebrated its world premiere at the Berlinale in 2022. The lead roles are played by Meltem Kaptan as Murat’s mother and Alexander Scheer as her lawyer, Bernhard Docke. Kaptan, a German-Turkish comedienne and host, was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actress, the German Film Award, and the German Acting Award for this acting debut, and was also nominated for the European Film Award.
The event was free and open to the public and was held in cooperation with the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court and the Karlsruhe Bar Association takes place.