Kida Khodr Ramadan is serving his prison sentence
In February 2022, Kida Khodr Ramadan was convicted as a traffic offender. The actor and director turned himself in and is now serving his sentence in open prison, despite initially trying to avoid a prison sentence.
"4 Blocks" star Kida Khodr Ramadan has begun serving his prison sentence and is in open prison, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Berlin public prosecutor's office. Until the last moment, the 47-year-old tried to avoid going to prison. The actor was sentenced to ten months in prison in February 2022 in Berlin for driving without a license - initially on probation, but this was later revoked.
Ramadan received a summons to begin his sentence at the start of the year. He contested this with various means. The public prosecutor's office had already summoned him in July to begin serving his sentence within 14 days. Ramadan was convicted for 33 cases of driving without a license. According to his lawyer Kai Walden, Ramadan has to serve his sentence due to a procedural error.
"All means exhausted"
Hamburg lawyer Walden has been representing Ramadan for several months and has tried various ways to prevent the prison sentence. He recently filed a pardon application for his client, which had no suspensive effect according to the public prosecutor's office and has since been rejected. Walden stated that Ramadan would comply with the summons if all legal means had been exhausted and failed. "In this regard, he does not claim any special rights for himself," Walden told the German Press Agency.
Despite his conviction, Ramadan was again convicted of traffic offenses in 2023. At the end of February, the Berlin Tiergarten Local Court sentenced him again to ten months in prison for deliberately driving without a license, without probation due to his previous convictions, and imposed a one-year driving ban.
Appeal process ongoing
Neither Ramadan nor the public prosecutor's office accepted the verdict. The appeal process is currently ongoing at the Berlin Regional Court and is scheduled to continue on (tomorrow) Wednesday. The court has ordered Ramadan's personal appearance.
In "4 Blocks," Ramadan played the head of a criminal Arab clan in Berlin-Neukölln who deals with murder, violence, drug deals, other gangsters, and LKA detectives. The series, which has won multiple awards, was his breakthrough as an actor. In 2021, his directorial debut "In Berlin, an orange tree does not grow" was released. At the beginning of the year, the seven-part ARD series "Testo," in which he is the main actor, co-author, and co-director, premiered.
Despite being convicted for several traffic offenses, including driving without a license, Ramadan's legal team has tirelessly advocated for his case, filing various appeals and even a pardon application. Unfortunately, all efforts have been in vain, and Ramadan is currently serving his sentence in open prison. The entertainment industry, however, continues to support his talents, with his series "4 Blocks" and the recent release of his directorial debut, "In Berlin, an orange tree does not grow," among other works.
