Denied a Death Certificate: The Bureaucratic Trap Following Roya’s Death

Annex Entry: Post-Mortem Procedural Irregularities (Roya Azal, March 2019)

Event: Denial of documentation and obstruction following the death of Kirsten Roya Azal.

Date Range: 12 March 2019 – 20 March 2019.

Timeline & Observations

12 March 2019 (early hours):
Roya removed from flat by emergency services. Death confirmed.
12–20 March 2019:

Denial of Leichenschauschein (death certificate):
Hospital/medical authorities refused to release the official document for 8 days.
➝ This document was essential for arranging funeral services.
➝ Only obtained after sustained pressure and intervention by the undersigned and a close friend of Roya.
Funeral Arrangements Threatened:
Hospital administration repeatedly warned that if funeral arrangements were not made promptly, the State would take custody of the body and arrange disposal at State expense.
➝ This was impossible to comply with while the required documentation was being withheld.
Bank Account Freeze:
Joint account with Roya was frozen immediately after her passing, lasting through the same period.
➝ Resulted in no access to funds for funeral or urgent costs, further compounding pressure on the undersigned.

Assessment

The refusal to release the Leichenschauschein for 8 days is not consistent with normal German administrative or medical practice, where such documentation is normally issued immediately to next-of-kin.
The contradiction between threatening disposal and withholding the very documents required for lawful arrangements constitutes a procedural trap that immobilised the family.
The bank account freeze, while technically a standard measure, in this context acted as a further barrier that amplified dependency on State-controlled timing.
Collectively, these actions delayed, obstructed, and controlled the funeral process, strongly suggesting deliberate bureaucratic obstruction and possible narrative management (“cover-up”).

Implication

This delay raises questions regarding chain of custody of medical/legal records during the withheld period.
It constitutes one of the strongest indicators of institutional irregularity in the handling of Roya’s death.

Comparative Annex: Normal German Protocol vs. Roya Azal Case (Death Certificate & Funeral Process)

Event: Issuance of Leichenschauschein (death certificate) and funeral arrangements following death in Berlin, March 2019.

Normal German Protocol	Observed in Roya Azal Case
Immediate issuance: The Leichenschauschein is typically prepared by the attending physician and made available to next-of-kin within 24 hours of death.	Withheld for 8 days despite repeated requests. Only released after forceful intervention by the undersigned and a close friend.
Funeral arrangements: Next-of-kin may contact a funeral home immediately upon death confirmation, using the Leichenschauschein as the key enabling document.	Hospital threatened disposal of the body if funeral arrangements were not made promptly, while simultaneously withholding the required documentation.
State disposal: Undertaken only if no next-of-kin can be reached or if family explicitly declines responsibility.	Threatened despite undersigned’s presence and willingness to arrange funeral — contradiction created pressure without lawful basis.
Bank accounts: Standard practice is to freeze deceased person’s individual accounts; joint accounts often remain partially accessible depending on mandate.	Joint account frozen completely during same 8-day period, eliminating liquidity for funeral costs.
Overall flow: Documentation → funeral home engagement → burial/cremation, normally completed within a few days.	Flow inverted: threats and immobilisation → forced delay → release only after pressure.

Assessment

The observed deviations are not minor delays but structural reversals of standard protocol.
The combination of withheld documents, contradictory threats, and financial immobilisation amounts to systematic obstruction.
These irregularities undermine confidence in the integrity of the chain of custody and strengthen the hypothesis of institutional narrative management (“cover-up”).

Wahid Azal