‘I was banged up in Iraqi jail for two months – now I have to save my cellmate’
A Brit freed from an Iraqi prison after an anonymous donor paid most of his unpaid debts is calling his former cellmate to be freed.
Brian Glendinning, 43, served two months in an Iraqi jail in Baghdad after being arrested at Barash Airport.
He had gone there to start a new job in September, but the Scotland-native was captured due to an Interpol Red Notice because of a debt he owed the Qatar National Bank.
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However, most of his debts were paid by an anonymous donor and he returned to his home in Fife on November 19.
But Brian, who is married to Kimberley, is now fighting to have his Lebanese cellmate, Hussein Yactine, 36, released after he was also jailed for a Qatar bank debt.
He said dad-of-three Hussein, who has been in jail in Iraq for more than a year, helped him survive he horror ordeal, and the pair still communicate frequently after Brian promised not to forget him.
He said: “Hussein doesn’t have the support of his country.
“They don’t have the clout or the inclination to help citizens wrongfully detained abroad and Hussein’s helpless against this unjust process.
“I could easily have been in his shoes if it weren’t for the legal and diplomatic efforts made on my behalf.
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“It seems shocking to me that our country has supported Qatar’s rise while they continue to violate international treaties and protocols on human rights issues.
“Hussein was such a support for me while I was in prison – I don’t know if I’d have survived without him.”
Brian described his time in the prison as “breaking” and claims that his former cellmate has been in there for more than a year.
When Brian was released from prison, Hussein put a handwritten note in his bag which congratulated him on his release and made him promise never to forget him.
Interpol and extradition expert Radha Stirling, who represented Brian, said she will be in touch with Hussein’s bank and Qatar’s Ministry of Interior.
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She said: “When debtors are arrested, banks hope that family members will bail them out but for the most part, family members end up spending their life savings on hefty legal fees.
“It’s counter-productive but the bank would rather punish their customer than recover the funds owed.
“In most of these cases, the customer is already in touch with the bank, organising a repayment scheme but they are jailed anyway.
“Interpol is being misused as a debt collector for banks but financial contributions from member states leave the organisation morally bankrupt.
“If Qatar withdraws the extradition request from Iraq, Hussein will be able to return home and seek employment to enable him to continue repayments.
“He has no savings or family to help him and there is no point at all to keep him in prison.”
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