About Joseph
Joseph’s story
10 September 1980

Born in Raamsdonksveer
1992

Secondary education
1997

Bachelor Computer Science
2001

The Netherlands' youngest IT engineer
2003

Starts his own IT business
2004

Takes business trip to Morocco

10 September 1980
Born in Raamsdonkveer

1992
Secondary education

1997
Bachelor Computer Science

2001
The Netherlands' youngest IT engineer

2003
Starts his own IT business

2004
Takes business trip to Morocco
Then things go wrong…
On Thursday 23 December 2004, something happens that drastically changes the young, comfortable life of Joseph Oubelkas. His business trip to Morocco ends in a huge drama. Upon his arrival at a client's business premises on the penultimate day of his trip, he sees dozens of armed men in uniform shouting and running around. Unsuspectingly, Joseph takes a closer look; two vans containing almost 8,000 kilos of drugs have been discovered. The 24-year-old IT entrepreneur is arrested, even though he is innocent and unaware of what is happening to him. Several months later, he receives a 10-year prison sentence for drug trafficking. His world collapses.
Humanity
Supported by his mother, family, friends and acquaintances, Joseph is slowly but surely able to make the most of his wrongful imprisonment and the harsh prison life. He takes his mother's advice to heart: “Focus, take responsibility, set goals and achieve them, but you have to do it yourself.” Joseph's empathy and humanity become peaceful weapons in his struggle to survive. He makes friends with prisoners and guards. He reads, learns, plays sports, teaches and works. Despite the errors in the verdict and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' conclusion that there is no evidence, he remains in custody from December 2004 to June 2009.
Some prisoners stayed in bed all day, stopped eating and became emaciated. Then you lose the struggle. I thought, 'Whoa, wait a minute. I made a promise to myself. They can imprison my body but they can't get to my mind. That's my choice: 100%.
Finally free!
Wednesday 17 June 2009 arrives: the day of his release. When he gets home, Joseph receives a warm welcome. He makes the most of every day with his family and friends. After months of happiness, relief, and pleasure, Joseph suffers a setback. He is unemployed. His former girlfriend has found someone else. He struggles with nightmares and a world that expects him to quickly pick up where he left off in his life. The pressure is enormous. Again he is supported by his loving circle of family and friends. Joseph picks up the pieces, meets his new love and decides to write about his experiences in a book. The beginning of his journey back to a good life.

After being home for a year, I even felt homesick for prison life in Morocco. I had to apply the survival skills I'd learned in prison to my own life in the free world.
How are things going now?
Very good! The years that he spent wrongfully imprisoned have produced the bestseller 400 letters from my mother (2011) and the sequel Health, Love, Freedom (2014; not yet available in English). Since then, from his home in Maastricht, Joseph has traveled throughout the Netherlands and around the world to speak about what he has experienced and learned. How he has woven his experiences into his life. He wants to help as many other people as possible through his books and readings. Joseph has both feet firmly planted in the present. He takes life as it comes and lives in the moment, together with his girlfriend, his mother, family and friends. Joseph now lives the dream he had in captivity.