Morocco slams German cremation of its national

RABAT, Morocco (AA) – Moroccan authorities have condemned the cremation of the body of a Moroccan national by German authorities in the city of Frankfurt as “a flagrant violation.”

In a statement, the Moroccan Consulate in Frankfurt said they were not notified of the cremation of its national Omar Qishouh, which took place on Dec. 29, 2021, describing the move as “contrary to what is customary.”

Qishouh was cremated “without notifying the consulate of the news of his death and without searching for his family residing in Frankfurt, contrary to what is customary in such a case," the consulate said.

The statement came days after activists and members of the Moroccan community circulated news that Germany had burned the body of a Moroccan.

The consulate said it was informed by the deceased’s sister that her brother was sick and was residing in social housing for people with special needs, but that the family was not informed about his death and the cremation of his body “until several days later."

This is "a precedent of its kind and a flagrant violation of the procedures in place," the consulate said, demanding an explanation for the “hasty” decision to cremate the deceased in “violation” of his “sanctity and dignity.”

We are “still waiting for the response of the competent German authorities while following up on this matter in order to ensure the dignity of all Moroccan citizens in their country of residence," the statement said.

There was no comment from the German authorities on the Moroccan statement.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar