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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 8 June 2022
Dutch prosecutors demand life sentences in reporter slaying

By PETER DEJONG used to shoot De Vries in
Associated Press the car.
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Pros- Also in the car was a mobile
ecutors demanded life phone, that prosecutors
sentences Tuesday for two say contained messages
men charged in the brazen alluding to the killing. One
killing of a popular Dutch of the judges in the case
investigative reporter last read out the messages dur-
year, as his children paid ing Tuesday’s hearing.
tribute to a courageous One exchange included
journalist and loving father two pictures of De Vries
and grandfather. and the message: “You
The slaying of Peter R. de have to get this dog.”
Vries triggered a national Later, a message from the
outpouring of grief and phone found in the car
government pledges to read: “He’s dead ... every-
crack down on Amster- one screaming. He didn’t
dam’s increasingly violent move anymore.”
drugs underworld. De Vries made his name
Prosecutors accuse a as a crime journalist who
21-year-old Dutchman reported on and wrote a
identified only as Delano bestselling book about the
G. of shooting De Vries at 1983 kidnapping of beer
close range in a downtown Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries arrives for a live TV show in Amsterdam, Netherlands, magnate Freddy Heinek-
Amsterdam street on July 6 Thursday Jan. 31, 2008. en. Later in his career, he
last year. Associated Press campaigned tirelessly to
The campaigning reporter dossier of evidence pros- ents who stood up for what are scheduled to speak at resolve cold cases. Before
and television personality ecutors say links the men to was right. Even though a separate hearing next his shooting, De Vries had
died nine days later of his the slaying, including tele- it was not an easy path; week, Judges are due to been an adviser and con-
injuries at age 64. The sec- phone text messages and who dared to stand up deliver verdicts July 14. fidant for a witness in the
ond suspect on trial is a Pol- video footage. for people who had been A judge in Tuesday’s hear- trial of the alleged leader
ish national, identified as In the afternoon, De Vries’ wronged.” ing directly asked G. if he and other members of a
Kamil E., who is the alleged son, Royce, and daughter She called De Vries “My shot De Vries, to which the crime gang that police
getaway driver. Kelly used victim impact dearest father, my bud- suspect replied: “I make described as an “oiled kill-
In a closing statement at statements to emotion- dy, confidant and caring use of my right to silence,” ing machine.” The witness’
their trial, prosecutors cited ally recall his campaigning grandfather for my child.” according to footage re- brother and his lawyer both
the “extremely serious” na- journalism and the way he Royce de Vries told judg- corded by NOS. The other were murdered.
ture of the crime, the sus- managed to combine his es: “I’m convinced that if suspect said: “I did not kill The suspected gangland
pects’ lack of remorse, and work with his family. these suspects had asked that man.” leader, Ridouan Taghi, was
a string of previous under- “I can still bring myself to my father for help that eve- Prosecutors say the two extradited to the Nether-
world murders as reasons treat you humanely,” Kelly ning, he would have given suspects were arrested lands from Dubai, United
for demanding life sen- de Vries told the suspects. it,” Dutch broadcaster NOS less than an hour after the Arab Emirates, in 2019 and
tences. “Why? Because that’s the reported. “Instead, they shooting in a getaway car is currently standing trial. He
Judges at Amsterdam way I was raised. Brought pulled the trigger.” on a highway near The hasn’t been charged in De
District Court reviewed a up by two wonderful par- Lawyers for the suspects Hague with the weapon Vries’ killing.q

Thailand urged to let U.N. evaluate

refugee status of Rohingya

BANGKOK (AP) — A group Myanmar and Bangladesh slave-like conditions.
of ethnic Rohingya left on a on perilous sea journeys to The Thai navy said the 59
Thai island after a danger- Malaysia, a Muslim-majority Rohingya left an island in
ous boat journey from Ban- country relatively lenient to the Andaman Sea had
gladesh should be given arriving migrants. traveled from Bangladesh
help and the opportunity to The voyages are often ar- on large fishing boats.
determine if they are refu- ranged by human traf- “But when they arrived,
gees, Human Rights Watch ficking gangs who charge the ship’s captain brought
said Tuesday. large sums for passage on these people to the island
The mostly Muslim Rohing- rickety old boats. Those and said it was Malaysia,”
ya have long been perse- boats that don’t sink can the navy’s statement said.
cuted in Myanmar. More end up elsewhere in South- The 31 men, 23 women, In this photo released by the Royal Thai Navy taken June 4,
than 700,000 fled to neigh- east Asia. Thailand, espe- three boys and two girls 2022, members of the Thai navy help Rohingya refugees found
boring Bangladesh in 2017 cially, tries to turn them were detained after be- on Koh Dong Island in Satun province, southern Thailand.
to escape a military coun- away, usually after sup- ing found Saturday on Associated Press
terinsurgency campaign plying fuel and food. Boat the southern island of Koh
that the U.S. and others passengers who make it Dong. The navy said it will humanitarian assistance, Thailand was obligated to
have called genocide. ashore in Thailand are de- continue to follow Thai- for people deemed to be assess the people’s claims
Since then, Rohingya have tained by authorities or sent land’s standard proce- immigrating illegally. for refugee protection be-
attempted to leave both by the traffickers to work in dures, including providing Human Rights Watch said fore trying to return them.q