The family of the veteran journalist said in a statement to local media that the Dutch crime journalist Peter R de Vries died a week after he was shot in the head in the center of Amsterdam.
The statement said: “Peter fought to the end, but failed to win the battle.” According to RTL Nieuws“He died surrounded by people who loved him. Peter lived on his belief:’It is impossible to be free by bending your knees.'”
The statement continued: “We are extremely proud of him, but at the same time we cannot comfort him. His family, partners and relatives hope to handle his death peacefully and urge everyone to respect this.”
The well-known Dutch name De Vries was hit five times at around 7:45 pm local time (1845 British Summer Time), including at least one shot in the head July 6After leaving the nearby TV studio, he was on his way to the parking lot of Lange Leidsedwarsstraat. He is 64 years old.
Soon after the shooting, the two suspects were arrested on the A4 highway. According to the police, a 35-year-old Polish Kamil E was suspected of driving a runaway car, and a 21-year-old Dutchman Delano G was a suspected gunman.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Thursday that the reporter’s death was “almost incomprehensible”, describing De Vries as “dedicated, tenacious, fearless, and fearless”. Always pursue the truth and stand up for justice. This makes himself the victim of great injustice even more dramatic. “
European Commission President Ursula von der Lein said: “I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Peter R. De Vries. Investigative journalists are vital to our democracies. We must do everything we can to protect them.”
De Vries is famous for reporting the kidnapping of millionaire brewer Freddy Heineken in 1983. He has owned his own TV show for 17 years and worked with the families of victims to track down unresolved cases and expose judicial injustice.
The reporter recently refused police protection after accepting death threats in the past, and has been serving as a consultant and confidant for key prosecution witnesses since last year. Riduin Taji, Is known as the most wanted criminal in the Netherlands.
The lawyer Derk Wiersum of witness Nabil B is Was shot in the street Two years ago, shortly after leaving his home in Amsterdam, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was killed and described as “incredibly disturbing.”
Dutch media reported that De Vries’ suspected murderer was a confidant nephew of Taji, while Polish media reported that the second suspect was wanted by the police in his home country for robbery and theft.
Last week, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Maxima expressed their deep shock at the attack. The royal statement said: “Journalists must be able to do their important work freely and without threats.”
Freedom of the press activists are equally powerful. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the global media watchdog, said Thursday that De Vries’ death showed that Europe had “failed to protect its journalists”.
RSF spokeswoman Pauline Ades-Mevel stated that “the situation has deteriorated significantly since 2017,” and the organization’s secretary-general Christophe Deloire described the killing as “a new episode in the European dark series” and added: “Organized Of crimes represent the main threat to EU journalism.”
In recent years, the group has been shocked by the killing of several investigative reporters and crime reporters.
Giorgos Karaivaz once reported crime stories on the Greek private Star TV channel. Was hit by at least six shots In April, a passenger on a motorcycle fired a 9mm pistol outside his home in Athens, which the police called an executive killing.
Investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galicia In 2017, four years after Ján Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kušnírová were found, he was killed by a car bomb in Malta Was shot and killed outside his home in Slovakia.
De Vries’ family said in a statement that details of De Vries’ funeral will be announced later. The reporter of RTL Nederland’s show RTL Boulevard recorded a few minutes before the shooting, and he described his death as an “indescribable huge loss.”
It says its idea is “all those who are moved by his courage, humanity, and determined struggle for justice. Peter’s influence is stronger than any act of hatred. We will continue to talk freely about abuse and injustice in society,” As he has done in his life.”
