Rabiye Kurnaz against George W. Bush

Murat is gone. Imprisoned in the US detention centre in Guantanamo. Rabiye Kurnaz, a housewife from Bremen and loving mother, no longer understands the world. She goes to the police, informs the authorities and almost despairs at her helplessness. Until she finds Bernhard Docke. The reserved, level-headed human rights lawyer and the spirited Turkish mother – they now fight side by side for Murat’s release. Paper is patient, but Rabiye is not. All she really wants is to return to her family in her terraced house and yet she is repeatedly catapulted into world history. She goes all the way to the Supreme Court in Washington with Bernhard to file a lawsuit against George W. Bush. Bernhard keeps an eye on her. And Rabiye makes him laugh. With heart and soul. With his last ounce of strength. And in the end, what no one would have thought possible happens.

RABIYE KURNAZ AGAINST GEORGE W. BUSH is the seventh joint film by Andreas Dresen (director) and Laila Stieler (screenplay). A film about law and arbitrariness. A film about people who rise above themselves. Meltem Kaptan makes her German cinema debut as Rabiye Kurnaz with overwhelming presence and earthy everyday humour. Alexander Scheer plays the human rights lawyer Bernhard Docke with patient restraint. Other roles are played by Charly Hübner, Nazmi Kirik and Sevda Polat. RABIYE KURNAZ AGAINST GEORGE W. BUSH celebrated its world premiere in competition at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2022, where it was honoured with two Silver Bears (Best Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Best Leading Role: Meltem Kaptan).

Introduction to the film and discussion

Bernhard Docke (lawyer, Bremen),
is a member of the Hanseatic Bar Association Bremen, specialised lawyer for criminal law and lecturer at the FU Berlin. Docke publishes mainly in the field of criminal law and criminal procedure law and has been a lawyer since 1983.

In 2006, he was awarded the Carl von Ossietzky Medal for his commitment to the liberation of Murat Kurnaz from the American prison camp Guantanamo. In 2007, he was awarded the Werner Holtfort Prize for his outstanding achievements in the defence of civil and human rights and the Udo Lindenberg Prize in recognition of his commitment against racism and xenophobia. In 2016, he was awarded the 34th Culture and Peace Prize for the defence of civil rights.

Bernhard Docke is a partner at the law firm hannover & partner in Bremen. From 1 March 2012, he was a member of the Human Rights Committee of the German Federal Bar Association for three years.

In Andreas Dresen’s feature film Rabiye Kurnaz v George W. Bush from 2022 about the Kurnaz case, his character is played by Alexander Scheer.