Dutch Criminal Journalist Killer Imprisoned For Up To 28 Years

UNSPLASH/Maxim Hopman ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - The Dutch court sentenced three men to up to 28 years in prison for the murder of criminal journalist Peter R. de Vries.

De Vries was shot on a busy Amsterdam street on July 6, 2021, and died nine days later. The incident raises concerns about the ability of the criminal world to eliminate prominent community leaders who are considered a threat.

Prosecutors demanded life sentences for the Dutchman who shot De Vries and two Polish men who were charged with premeditated murder and attempted to help the killer escape.

Three other men were sentenced to up to 14 years in prison for helping the murder, which the Dutch court said was "very surprising". None of the suspects gave any statement during the trial.

De Vries, 64, is known for his television program, where he often works with the victim's family and tirelessly investigates unsolved cases. He received threats from the criminal world in connection with his work.

In 2008, he won the international Emmy Award in the latest category of affairs over his work investigating the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.

At the time of his death, De Vries acted as an advisor to the suspect who was a state witness in the trial of Ridouan Taghi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and drug trafficking earlier this year.

State witness lawyer, Derk Wiersum, was shot dead in front of his home in Amsterdam in 2019.

That year, Taghi took an unusual step by making public statements denying reports he threatened to kill De Vries.

Prosecutors in the De Vries case said they believed Taghi had ordered the Polish people to arrange the murder, but Taghi did not take part in the trial.

Therefore, the court said it had not been able to find a relationship between De Vries' murder and his role as an advisor to state witnesses.