Attack on famous investigative journalist shocks and mobilizes the Netherlands

the shootout in Amsterdam against famous investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries, mobilized the Netherlands on Wednesday, including the police and the judiciary, with whom it has worked for decades to resolve criminal cases, as the incident continues to be investigated, with two suspects arrested and held incommunicado.

At 7:30 p.m. (local time, 5:30 p.m. GMT) Tuesday, the reporter was hit five times, including one in the head, while walking through central Amsterdam, where he was often seen after appearing on a radio show. Witnesses said he wore a beige suit, looked at his cell phone and walked to his car on his own.

Dutch police confirmed that he had a 35-year-old Pole and a 21-year-old Dutchman as main suspects in the shooting, and will go to court on Friday. Both were arrested near The Hague, after having fled after allegedly shoots De Vries, 64.

Officers conducted house searches in various parts of the country and seized various computer data carriers and ammunition that may belong to the detainees, but They still do not confirm their suspicions about the possible motives for the assault on the journalist, or whether they rule out hypotheses.

Meanwhile, reactions to what happened. Henk Naves, president of the Judicial Council, said the attack had an impact on the rule of law and stressed that journalists like De Vries “exercise control over judges and keep them on alert” to conduct to a fair trial.

“They are indispensable in our democratic constitutional state and we must do everything possible so that they can do their important work without fear of violence,” he said.

Following a meeting with the Dutch journalists’ union NVJ, Media Minister Arie Slob urged to wait for the investigation to draw conclusions, but stressed that “Whatever the reason, it is simply intolerable” because journalism “is one of the floats of the rule of law”.

In addition, he admitted the “worrying” increase in threats against journalists in the Netherlands, where many reporters “feel less safe” when doing their jobs due to social harassment. Public television NOS was forced to remove its logo from its mobile units during a pandemic due to threats received by its journalists.

Before a parliamentary debate in The Hague, Prime Minister Mark Rutte underlined that this Wednesday “17 million people sympathize” with the journalist and assured that De Vries is a “tenacious man, fighter, not always easy who takes care of the victims “.

Regarding the fight against organized crime, the Minister of Justice, Ferdinand Grapperhaus, stressed that this battle “is a question of years”, but assured that the Netherlands “will win it”.

In 2019, lawyer Derk Wiersum was shot and killed in Amsterdam for representing a protected witness – and De Vries source – in a case against the head of the country’s most feared criminal organization, Ridouan Taghi.

Although the motive for the attack is unclear, many local media point to the Marengo trial, in which he plays an important role with his testimony against Taghi.

The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, underlined that “this attack on the life of De Vries has shocked the city, but (the neighbors) are furious and mobilized” against this “cowardly and brutal attack” on journalism. “He has admirers in all circles of society and is loved in all parts of our country,” added the adviser, who noted that the police are doing everything possible to clarify what has happened.

Nothing new about the journalist’s state of health is known, although his son, Royce de Vries, today admitted that “(the family’s) worst nightmare has come true” after the shooting. “As a family, we surround Peter with love and hope during this difficult time. There is still a lot of uncertainty, but the truth is that all supporting statements from across the country now offer support. huge, ”he wrote in a tweet.

What happened not only mobilized Dutch society, it also had an impact outside the country. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, condemned this “crime” as “an attack on our fundamental values ​​and on the freedom of the press”.

And European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked and alarmed” by what happened, and urged “national authorities to clarify the facts and bring those responsible to justice.”

De Vries gained international fame in 2008 when he received an Emmy Award for his reporting on the disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

The reporter has a a particular predilection for unresolved cases, “Cold-case”, which includes the murder of Nicky Verstappen, an 11-year-old boy, disappeared from a youth camp in 1998, and sexually assaulted before being murdered.

He became spokesperson for the victim’s family when, in 2018, the case took a new turn, leading to the conviction of a suspect.

For years, De Vries frequently appears as a witness in court due to his experience in various cases, which includes the trial against Willem Holleeder for the murder of Cor Van Hout (the Heineken kidnappers), in 2003.

According to observers, this role makes him a target of the criminal world. During a particularly heated hearing, Holleeder did not hesitate to call him a “dirty criminal”.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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