Famous Dutch journalist, specializing in criminal matters, who had repeatedly received death threats, was seriously injured by bullets last Tuesday night in Amsterdam, where he became the target of an attack which the Dutch Prime Minister described as “shocking and unthinkable”.
“The attack on Peter R. de Vries is shocking and unthinkable, it is an attack on a courageous journalist “and therefore an attack on freedom of the press, which is fundamental to our democracy and the rule of law,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a news conference in The Hague.
The 64-year-old journalist and TV presenter is a well-known figure in the Netherlands for his role in crime cases. He often appeared in the role of victim representative or in the close circle of key witnesses. He has received several threats against his life in his career.
“She is fighting to stay alive,” Femka Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, told a news conference.
Attack on a journalist: Three arrests
Three people have been arrested, two while driving and another in Amsterdam, said Frank Pau, the police chief of the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, who spoke at the same press conference.
The perpetrator of the attack is probably among these people, he added, without going into further details either about the arrests or the possible motive of the crime.
Peter R. de Vries was injured by bullets on a street in the center of Amsterdam around 19:30 (local time; 20:30 Greek time), as he was leaving the studio of a talk show where he had been attacked.
“Attack on freedom”
Eyewitnesses heard five gunshots and saw the journalist with a bullet wound to the head, Dutch public television NOS reported.
The Dutch Prime Minister together with the Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Hrapenhaus went to the National Security and Counter-Terrorism Agency (NCTV) in The Hague last night to “discuss” the case.
“It’s a dark day, not only for the people close to Peter R. de Vries, but also for the freedom of the press,” Hrapenhaus told reporters.
“We want journalists in the Netherlands to always be able to do any research that needs to be done with complete freedom. “This freedom was severely attacked tonight.”
“Journalists in the European Union must be able to investigate crime and difference without fear for their safety,” said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-governmental organization for the protection of the press. which is headquartered in New York.
The Dutch authorities must investigate “quickly and thoroughly” the attack on Mr de Vries to “determine whether he was targeted because of his work” and to “guarantee that the perpetrator and the perpetrators will be brought to justice”. , said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s representative for the European Union.
In the latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters sans frontières (RSF), the Netherlands ranks 6th out of 180 countries on the list, behind Norway and Finland. Sweden, Denmark and Costa Rica.
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