A Scots dad who was locked up in an Iraqi jail has spoken of the heartbreaking moment his cellmate begged him 'don't forget about me' when he was released.
Brian Glendinning, 43, was in jail for more than two months in Baghdad after he was arrested in September over an unpaid debt owed to Qatar National Bank. The dad-of-thee, from Kincardine, Fife, shared his cell with Lebanese national Hussein Yactine, 36, who was also locked up over an paid debt to the same bank.
But when Brian's release was secured, Hussein was left behind with hope starting to dwindle. Now the Scot has vowed not to turn his back on his prison pal, with his dad even sending money to Hussein's family.
Speaking to the Record, Brian said: "He was the first person to congratulate me when I found out I was getting out. But also, at the same time, when he hugged me, he spoke in my ear and basically begged me not to forget about him.
"I made a promise when I left there to him that I would do everything that I can to help him because he helped me when I was inside there.
"It would be so easy for someone like me to get out there and kind of turn my back and move on but I couldn’t do that because he meant so much to me. I’ll never forget what he did for me.
"I know exactly what he’s going through. He’ll be sitting in there just now praying to himself, ‘I hope Brian is doing something’.
"Financially, I don’t have a job now so there’s not much I can do for Hussein, but my dad sent his wife and kids £100 the other day. I know it doesn’t sound a lot but it’s a lot to them while he’s in jail. My dad did that because he knew that Hussein helped his son, so he wanted to do the same for his kids."
Brian previously spoke of the horrendous conditions he faced in the jail, saying he felt physically and mentally drained, and "stripped of his dignity". He said prisoners struggled to get basic services including food, water, electricity and access to a phone without payment to guards.
Thankfully Brian was freed after an anonymous donor stepped in and paid most of the debt. He returned home on November 19. When Brian was released from prison, Hussein put a handwritten note in his bag which read: "Congrats bro because you left from here.
"I'm really happy that you're going to your country to see your wife and kids. I hope you will never forget your friend, Hussein".
In a recorded telephone call, Hussein pleaded with Brian to help him. Hussein said: "I need your help. I cannot stay here anymore. "My month is long, nobody is helping, nobody is doing anything."
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. While they work to get Hussein out of the prison, which Brian previous described as being 'rat-infested', the dad has kept his friend's wife up to date with all their effort.
Brian added: "I don’t want him thinking I’m doing nothing. I contacted his wife, and I keep her up-to-date with anything I’m trying to do.
“I get the odd opportunity to speak to him just randomly, but it’s a hit or a miss if I can through to him or not. When I speak to him I hate that I don’t have any good news to tell him.
“He’s got three young kids who are younger than my kids, and his wife. They’re going through hell.
“He’s a strong guy and strong minded. He’s lasted a year in there, but I’ve seen pictures of him before he went in there and he’s half the man he was physically before he went in.
“He’ll have a new bit of hope because I left, so he’s seen that and will be hoping something can be done for him. But your hope fades quickly in there.
"He’ll be hurting really badly just now as well because it’s coming up to Christmas and he has a young family. The way he talked about his wife and kids, that’s all he wants in life and that’s why he was over there, to earn good money to provide for them, a better life.
“The reason why I’m trying to do something is because if it wasn’t for my family and the campaigning on my behalf I’d be sitting there with Hussein still."
Radha Stirling said: "Jailing debtors works for banks, or so they say. 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.
"These are not fraudsters who took a loan and absconded. Most defaulting customers have hit hard times or suffered a health issue. They genuinely want to repay the loan. They're not criminals and shouldn't be treated as such.
"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.
"There is no benefit to keeping him locked up or extraditing him to lock him up for another few years. It makes no sense. Let him work and let him repay the loan. 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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