In the media
May 01, 2015
On Friday 1 May, Christophe Paulussen was quoted by Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad in an article about new counter-terrorism legislative proposals in the Netherlands. The proposals are heavily criticised by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, in essence because they are mainly and merely fighting the symptoms. Paulussen agreed that these – and other – proposals are indeed mostly repressive in character (“showing muscles”) and that the underlying issues of radicalisation are not sufficiently addressed. In the article, Marysha Molthoff from the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights notes that the Dutch Cabinet – by resorting to administrative law instead of criminal law – is trying to circumvent the judiciary. In this context, Paulussen noted that “[b]y circumventing legal standards, you are doing exactly what terrorists want you to do”. He fully agreed with the Netherlands Institute that especially in difficult times, the law – and in particular human rights – must prove its value. Read the full article (in Dutch only).
