Amsterdam’s oldest legal officials have warned that the Netherlands society is in danger if individuals do not take responsibility for safeguarding the legal system.
“The rule of law will eventually protect the law of the strongest or richest of us,” says René de Beukelaer, the main prosecutor, Jacqueline Scaap, Head of the Amsterdam Bar Association, and in the statement of the court’s President Bart Meege on Tuesday in Telegranaf.
“The rule of law has been pressured. We are not usually looking for publicity, but we now think we have our obligation to speak together … The threats of lawyers face and the court decisions are “only” as one opinion “.
According to them, the rule of law is only the backbone of society. “In a society under the rule of law, no one can arbitrarily arrested, property is protected, privacy is valued and people are free to think and speak as they wish – the boundaries of the law and others. The rules apply to everyone, including the government. “
They also emphasized the need to safeguard the balance between politicians, officials and judges in democracy, which they say has been disturbed. “The political criticism of the court’s decision weakens general trust in independent and impartial judge,” they said. “Cuts for legal assistance and high court fees make many people, including small and medium -sized enterprises, to get to court.”
Extreme right-wing politicians in the Netherlands have often dismissed legal decisions into “biased” or “D66 elite” work.
Ordinary citizens also have a responsibility, three officials said, referring to recent online attacks on a judge who overturned the entry ban of the three Islamic preacher government. “The judge’s threat of social media simply does his job to harm the individual and their family, but also public confidence in institutions,” they said.
“This affects everyone. When people cease to bind the law, when laws apply to some, but not to others, it is impossible to maintain social order. In neighboring countries we see what this can lead to: corruption, discrimination and intimidation. In the end, the rule of law protects us from the law of the strongest or the richest. “
Media damping
The article took place simultaneously in the NRC editorial, which warned that journalists, activists, human rights defenders and abuses that reveal abuse
These lawsuit is known as Slapps – Strategic Laws against Public Participation – a phenomenon derived from the United States but is now rooted in Europe.
Although there have been only 12 such cases in the Netherlands so far, 1,049 in Europe have been submitted to the European Union last year. The European Union approved the Directive aimed at protecting SLAPP goals, especially because of its high costs.
EU protection
The central question is now whether these important protection is effectively included in the Netherlands law, the article states. Campaign Group Free Press Unlimited has stated that the Netherlands hesitates these measures, assuming that SLAPs are not a significant issue in the country.
“The fact that the problem has not yet spread widespread does not mean that it does not exacerbate – especially the increasing number of cases of SLAP in Europe,” NRC said.
“Therefore, it is imperative that the Dutch government draws attention to the dangers of SLAPP, especially their cooling effect on freedom of expression and independent journalism. Nothing more than freedom of the press and freedom of expression is not at stake. “