Support Our Work Mailing list About / Contact

Holland: Absent witnesses

01 January 1991

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

Holland: Absent witnesses
artdoc June=1994

On February 1, 1994, new legislation came into force under which
a witness who has reasonable grounds to feel threatened no longer
has to appear in court but can give a statement to the
investigating magistrate. The new rules also cover witnesses
whose statements might be shocking to the next of kin, for
instance in cases of incest, homosexual behaviour or extramarital
affairs. The defence can question the witness through
telecommunications or in writing as long as their identity is not
disclosed. Undercover police officers can appear in court in
disguise maintaining their anonymity, or only appear before the
investigating magistrate if they received serious threats. Under
the new legislation, inducing someone to make false statements
under interrogation has become punishable with 4 years
imprisonment or a Dfl25,000 penalty.

Statewatch Vol 4 no 2, March-April 1994

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 Previous article

France: New penal code (1)

Next article 

ECHR: UK vs the rest (1)

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error

Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.

About | Contact | Privacy Policy