One suspect anonymous, the other on vacation in the case against UvA demonstrators
Once again protesters face the Amsterdam court for their role during the disturbances at the UvA. Samuel H. received a month in jail, Manu-Narayan A. was acquitted. Five more cases were scheduled, but all were postponed.
As with the case against UvA demonstrators Toby B., Hamza. A, and Simeon H. last week, there was a lot of press and public present in court today. This time many members of the UvA Central Student Council were in the public gallery to offer encouragement to the defendants.
They certainly must have known or recognized the first one, who described himself as an English-speaking “UvA student and employee.” Furthermore, he wished to remain anonymous and thus did not mention his name.* He is accused of throwing stones at the police. He also allegedly sprayed fire extinguishers and red paint in the direction of the police and their shovels. There are images of the latter which will be shown in court. Because the accused does not want to appear in the media, the video cameras of the press briefly turn the other way.
Moments later, the concealment of his identity turns out not to be without consequences. The court postponed the case until May 29th but ruled that he must remain in detention until then. His unknown identity is an important consideration. Since he will not give his name or home address, the court considers the risk of flight to be real. In addition, there is a chance of repetition, according to the court, since the student demonstrations do not seem to be over yet.
His lawyer, Krit Zeegers, looks shocked at this. What follows is a brief consultation between lawyer and client. Does his client still want to give up his anonymity, hoping to get the judge to change his mind? No, the defendant stands firm.
Vacation
Remarkably, today’s second suspect also wants to remain anonymous. But unlike the first suspect, she is not present at the hearing. She is on vacation. Her ticket was already booked, Zeegers argues, although he says she would have liked to be present at the hearing. Therefore, he asks the court for a postponement. Howls of laughter come from the prosecutor. “It was the defendant’s own choice not to appear at the hearing, but to go on vacation.”
But the court honors the request for postponement because of the fundamental right to attendance. However, the court cannot attach a date to it. Because her home address and name are unknown to the court and the prosecution, no summons can be sent and it is simply a matter of waiting to see when she returns from vacation. Zeegers did see her return ticket, however, which is what the court is relying on.
Thus, a number of cases against UvA demonstrators have already been postponed. Since the cases are significantly delayed in court, the cases against Joaquin L.C. (23) from Chile, Hanibal T. (33) from Syria, and Melle Thijmen H. from Amsterdam will also be postponed, as first reported in the Telegraaf.
Last week, the case of UvA student Simeon H. was also postponed. Hamza A., on the other hand, was acquitted, and Toby B. received two months in prison, one of which was suspended.
Threats
Samuel M., today’s third suspect, can also look forward to a month in prison. He is not a UvA student and recently came to the Netherlands “for a better future.” M. has been living in a squat on the Rokin for six months now. Because he only speaks Spanish, an interpreter sits next to him.
M. allegedly threw stones at police, hitting an officer. Once he was arrested, he refused to stop resisting, the prosecution said. Two officers were then threatened by him – “I will slit your throat, motherfucker” - and received kicks to their shields. Eventually, it even took pepper spray to subdue M. By his own account, the suspect acted out of self-protection and anger. Moreover, during the demonstration, even before his arrest, he had nowhere to go, he explains. There was a police cordon on both sides of the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. By his own admission, he had long since left in good time.
Because of the level of violence, the prosecution is demanding a higher sentence than against many other UvA demonstrators, namely four months in prison. But because the judge does not consider it to be proven that stones were thrown, he gets only one month unconditional. Manu-Narayan A, today’s last suspect, is acquitted by the court.
* The Folia reporter also recognized the suspect, but because the case is not over yet, the editors respect the suspect’s anonymity.
