From police assault in Netherlands, to baby seizure in Germany: Palestinian refugee seeks justice

• Germany removes one-month-old baby from Syrian mother.
• Father says removal followed Dutch ruling.
• Father moved to Belgium seeking baby's return.
• German authorities cite privacy laws over legal grounds.
• Incident follows reported police assault in Netherlands.

German authorities removed a one-month-old infant, Reem, from her Syrian mother, Malak Mahmoud, following a decision originating in the Netherlands that classified her Palestinian father, Wesam Miqdad, as a danger to his family, according to a report by Al Jazeera Net.

The case follows international attention surrounding a video filmed on May 19 in the Kampweg area of the Netherlands.

That footage documented Dutch police throwing Mahmoud -who was nine months pregnant at the time- to the ground and dragging her during the arrest of Miqdad at an asylum center following reports of a altercation.

Father relocates to Belgium to remove grounds for separation

According to Miqdad's statements to Al Jazeera Net, a large force of over 15 police vehicles arrived at his wife's accommodation in Germany. Authorities asked Mahmoud to step outside briefly, after which she returned without her newborn daughter.

In an attempt to eliminate the legal justification used by authorities, Miqdad left Germany for Belgium to file a new asylum claim.

He emphasized that he has never used violence against his wife and questioned why his family is being penalized while the Dutch officers involved in the initial assault remain unpunished.

"I went to Germany to live a normal life with my wife and daughter, but we were surprised by a decision issued from the Netherlands considering me a danger to my family, and on this basis the child was taken," Miqdad told Al Jazeera Net. "I am now in Belgium, away from my wife and child... so that it cannot be said my presence poses a danger to them. All I want is for my daughter Reem to be returned to her mother."

German agencies cite privacy laws

Al Jazeera Net reached out via email and phone to three official bodies in Germany: the Child and Youth Protection Office in the Wesel district, the district government press office, and the local Child Protection Network.

The Child and Youth Protection Office declined to provide any details, invoking personal data protection and privacy laws, while asserting that no entity would provide information on the case.

The Child Protection Network in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) issued a brief written statement via coordinator Daniela B., explaining that it handles structural coordination between institutions rather than individual cases, adding that data protection rules forbid sharing personal information.

Miqdad disclosed to Al Jazeera Net that his wife has suffered a severe psychological breakdown since the infant was taken.

Direct communication between the couple has ceased after Mahmoud was advised that contacting him could jeopardize her chances of regaining custody.

Additionally, Miqdad stated that he underwent two lung surgeries due to fluid accumulation resulting from injuries sustained during his arrest by Dutch police, but has received no follow-up or investigation regarding his claims.