German court denies residency extension for Dramé brothers

The Administrative Court of Gelsenkirchen has ruled that Sidy and Lassana Dramé, brothers of Mouhamed Dramé, have no legal claim to an extension of their residency permits in Germany. The brothers, originally from Senegal, had been granted temporary permits for humanitarian and personal reasons specifically to participate as co-plaintiffs in the criminal proceedings regarding their brother's death.

The court rejected an urgent application to extend their stay, stating that the purpose of their residency—participating in the trial—concluded with the final verdict. The City of Dortmund had previously denied requests for residency and work permit extensions, setting a deadline for voluntary departure and threatening deportation to Senegal.

The legal case stems from an August 2022 incident in Dortmund where 16-year-old Mouhamed Dramé was shot five times by a police officer with a submachine gun. A Dortmund Regional Court ruled in late 2024 that the officer acted in self-defense, mistakenly believing the teenager was attacking him. The incident occurred in the courtyard of a youth welfare facility after the teenager, who was holding a knife toward himself, failed to respond to police commands.