Netherland, De Nationale Ombudsman
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Netherland, De Nationale Ombudsman
International contacts
Foreign visitors received at the office
- 14 November, several members of the Constitutional Committee of the National Council of the Slovak Republic;
- 30 November, the Chief Ombudsman of Indonesia, Mr. Antonius Sujata, and Mr. Soerahman and Mr. Damanhury.
Visits abroad - 11-12 October, deputy Ombudsman Liesbeth Horstink-von Meyenfeldt participated in the European Conference "All different, all equal: from principle to practice" in Strasbourg;
- 30 October - 2 November, National Ombudsman Roel Fernhout, deputy Ombudsman Liesbeth Horstink-von Meyenfeldt and senior advisor Pauline Hoekx participated in the VIIth International Ombudsman Institute Conference in Durban;
- 1 December, National Ombudsman Roel Fernhout participated in the Western European Ombudsmen Meeting with the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, in Paris;
- 14 December, National Ombudsman Roel Fernhout participated in a meeting on Data Protection and Openness, organised by the office of the European Ombudsman, in Strasbourg.
Miscellaneous
National Ombudsman to launch inquiry into transfer of Dutch prisoners from Morocco
The National Ombudsman is launching an inquiry into the implementation of the agreement between the Netherlands and Morocco under which Dutch nationals serving prison sentences in Morocco can, under certain conditions, serve the rest of their sentence in the Netherlands. The Ombudsman decided to launch this inquiry after receiving criticism from various sources on how the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Embassy in Morocco are implementing the agreement.
More than sixty Dutch nationals are currently serving sentences in Moroccan prisons. The agreement has been provisionally in force since 30 December 1999. The aim was to transfer detainees as soon as possible to the Netherlands, given the conditions in Moroccan jails. Last week the Ministry of Justice announced that the first seven prisoners, whose requests for transfer of sentence were approved in September, would be arriving in the Netherlands in mid-November.
The National Ombudsman’s inquiry will mainly examine how active the Dutch authorities are in implementing the agreement. Are they informing detainees in Morocco of the terms of the agreement, helping them to submit a request for transfer of sentence, and monitoring the progress the Moroccan authorities make in processing these requests? The Ombudsman will also look into the time it takes to process requests.
On the basis of the Convention between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Morocco on the transfer of sentenced persons, Dutch prisoners may submit a request to the Moroccan authorities to serve the sentence imposed by a Moroccan court in the Netherlands. The Moroccan Minister of Justice assesses each application and then requests the Netherlands to take over execution of the sentence. The Dutch Minister of Justice is responsible for deciding on such requests, on the basis of recommendations from the Arnhem Court of Appeal.
Newsletter No. 23
Netherland, De Nationale Ombudsman
International contacts
Foreign visitors received at the office
- 14 November, several members of the Constitutional Committee of the National Council of the Slovak Republic;
- 30 November, the Chief Ombudsman of Indonesia, Mr. Antonius Sujata, and Mr. Soerahman and Mr. Damanhury.
Visits abroad - 11-12 October, deputy Ombudsman Liesbeth Horstink-von Meyenfeldt participated in the European Conference "All different, all equal: from principle to practice" in Strasbourg;
- 30 October - 2 November, National Ombudsman Roel Fernhout, deputy Ombudsman Liesbeth Horstink-von Meyenfeldt and senior advisor Pauline Hoekx participated in the VIIth International Ombudsman Institute Conference in Durban;
- 1 December, National Ombudsman Roel Fernhout participated in the Western European Ombudsmen Meeting with the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, in Paris;
- 14 December, National Ombudsman Roel Fernhout participated in a meeting on Data Protection and Openness, organised by the office of the European Ombudsman, in Strasbourg.
Miscellaneous
National Ombudsman to launch inquiry into transfer of Dutch prisoners from Morocco
The National Ombudsman is launching an inquiry into the implementation of the agreement between the Netherlands and Morocco under which Dutch nationals serving prison sentences in Morocco can, under certain conditions, serve the rest of their sentence in the Netherlands. The Ombudsman decided to launch this inquiry after receiving criticism from various sources on how the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Embassy in Morocco are implementing the agreement.
More than sixty Dutch nationals are currently serving sentences in Moroccan prisons. The agreement has been provisionally in force since 30 December 1999. The aim was to transfer detainees as soon as possible to the Netherlands, given the conditions in Moroccan jails. Last week the Ministry of Justice announced that the first seven prisoners, whose requests for transfer of sentence were approved in September, would be arriving in the Netherlands in mid-November.
The National Ombudsman’s inquiry will mainly examine how active the Dutch authorities are in implementing the agreement. Are they informing detainees in Morocco of the terms of the agreement, helping them to submit a request for transfer of sentence, and monitoring the progress the Moroccan authorities make in processing these requests? The Ombudsman will also look into the time it takes to process requests.
On the basis of the Convention between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Morocco on the transfer of sentenced persons, Dutch prisoners may submit a request to the Moroccan authorities to serve the sentence imposed by a Moroccan court in the Netherlands. The Moroccan Minister of Justice assesses each application and then requests the Netherlands to take over execution of the sentence. The Dutch Minister of Justice is responsible for deciding on such requests, on the basis of recommendations from the Arnhem Court of Appeal.
