Murder of lawyer in criminal trial "threat to rule of law in Netherlands"

The murder of a lawyer Derk Wiersum on Wednesday in Amsterdam caused alarm bells ringing in Dutch politics and justice organizations, with the use of terms as "a serious threat to the constitutional state".

Justice and Security Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus scheduled a meeting at his ministry to discuss the murder with representatives of the Public Prosecution, the Council for the Judiciary, the Bar Association of lawyers and also Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection. The meetings are meant to talk how the safety of lawyers can be guaranteed.

On Wednesday Grapperhaus already announced that he had put together a team under the direction of the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) with representatives from the Public Prosecution and the police.

This team has the authority to activate or intensify security and surveillance. This team also explicitly examines what is needed for the professional groups involved in order to function safely and without disruption.

Wiersum, aged 44, was shot dead in front of his house in Amsterdam on Wednesday morning. He left behind a wife and two children. The shooter is still on the run. Wiersum was probably killed for assisting Nabil B., the crown witness in the trial of Ridouan Taghi and Said Razzouki, two most wanted criminals in the Netherlands who are suspected of being involved in various murders and liquidations and are currently on the run.

Minister Grapperhaus announced on Wednesday that an immediate criminal investigation was started. "I cannot anticipate the results of the investigation, but if our worst suspicions are confirmed, then another border has been crossed by organized and undermining crime," the minister said in a statement. "This touches on the foundation of our constitutional state and is a huge blow, especially for the profession of lawyers, the Public Prosecution, the police and the judiciary."

In a joint response, the legal profession and the Public Prosecution already indicated that they were shocked by the violent death of the lawyer. "His loss hurts us all a lot," the statement said. "Although the investigation into this very serious incident is still in full swing, everything points in the direction of a gross violation of our democratic legal order. This murder is a personal drama and a threat to our rule of law."