By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – The Netherlands has unveiled a statue in memory of Peter R. de Vries, the Duch investigative journalist who was assassinated three years ago.
The monument in the Dutch capital Amsterdam contains two bronze hands with the superimposed title ‘Against all currents.”
Mayor Femke Halsema said during the ceremony that the monument not only commemorates the reporter and his work but should also ensure that the
“inhumane crime” of his murder is not forgotten. The murder, she said, will “remain baffling for decades.”
“Above all, we want his work, his fight for justice, his critical and independent
spirit and sense to continue to honor fearlessness as a guideline for our city and our residents,” Halsema said.
The monument for De Vries was made by artist Rini Hurkmans. The two bronze hands are on Leidseplein square where the studios were located of television program RTL Boulevard where De Vries was a guest speaker shortly before he was shot and killed.
Last month, a Dutch court convicted and sentenced six men in connection with the murder of 64-year-old De Vries, who was fatally shot on an Amsterdam street in July 2021 as he left the TV station.
Nine men — members of an organized crime group that targeted de Vries over his involvement in a murder trial, Dutch authorities alleged — were arrested and charged.
LIFE SENTENCES
Prosecutors requested life sentences for the three main suspects, including the shooter and getaway driver, and three to 21 years for six others they alleged were connected to the killing.
After a grinding three-year trial, the court convicted six of the nine men on various charges.
It did not hand down a life sentence to the three main suspects, instead sentencing two of them to 28 years in prison and the other to 26 years.
A seventh man was also sentenced to just four weeks in prison for drug possession. Two others were acquitted.
The brutal slaying sent shockwaves through Dutch society, which was long known for its liberal attitudes.
His killing drew condemnation from King Willem-Alexander, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, and then Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who called it “an attack on the free journalism that is so essential for democracy.”
De Vries was a household name in the Netherlands, hosting his own television show covering high-profile crime cases from 1995 to 2012.
BEAUTIFUL PLACE
Thousands of mourners queued for hours to pay their respects at his public memorial.
Many were also present at the unveiling of the statue. “We couldn’t wish for a more beautiful place,” said Kelly de Vries, the daughter of the crime reporter.
The work of art recalls the ideas of De Vries and his fight for people who needed help against injustice. The statue shows De Vries’s rules of life in 41 languages.
“We are convinced that the monument would also have carried him with pride,” said Kelly de Vries.
“My heart hurts with sadness, but especially with pride. He was truly unique,” she concluded her speech.
“I hope it makes people think,” added Royce de Vries, Peter’s son.
His death underscored uncertainty about the safety of those who investigate crime in the country. In recent years, criminals have murdered a lawyer and witnesses involved in gang-related cases.
MORE ATTACKS
Politicians, lawyers, and filmmakers have also been targeted. Several people are now under police protection, and the government has announced unspecified security measures.
But since his De Vries’ assassination, there’s growing concern that life in the Netherlands, long a beacon of freedom, will never be the same for those expressing opinions or investigating sensitive issues.
De Vries rose to fame in 1983 after he covered the kidnapping of a millionaire Heineken beer brewer heir. In 2008, De Vries won an Emmy Award for a TV show about American teenager Natalee Holloway. In 2005, she disappeared while on holiday on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
More recently, De Vries began advising a state witness in the trial of an alleged crime gang boss who’s accused of numerous assassinations.
Despite numerous death threats over the years, De Vries continued breaking stories about mobsters and drug lords.
Shortly before his death, he admitted in a Dutch radio show that he was always looking over his shoulder, Worthy News monitored. “Of course, I am trying to take these threats with a pinch of salt. I prefer it when people send me flowers instead of threats. But this belongs to the job,” De Vries said.
“We, crime reporters, are the soldiers on the front lines. So this is part of it,” he added at the time. “Of course, one never gets used to threats, but it is part of our work. I am not afraid, but I am alert, and I watch my surroundings more carefully.”
Watching carefully wasn’t enough. All that is left is his statue and memories.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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