Family Rishi calls for heavier punishment

The mother and brother of the 17-year-old Rishi Chandrikasing, who was shot and killed last year on a The Hague train station, want a heavier charge for the officer who fired the fatal shot. They also want the colleagues to be prosecuted for not resuscitating the victim.The officer will appear before the court in The Hague on Monday. Rishi's family has no confidence in the Public Prosecution, who tries the officer for manslaughter. They fear the charge is too light and that the officer will get away with a light sentence. The family wants the officer to be charged with murder, according to their lawyer, Michael Ruperti. The lawyer sees grounds for heavier charges in the file. The officer who fired was still running, and violated policy, which dictates the shooter to take a stand with both feet firmly on the ground, and to aim for the victim's legs. The victim was hit in the neck, while running away; it was not self-defense. The relatives also want the shooter and his colleagues to be prosecuted for not resuscitate the victim. It takes more than a minute before CPR is started, and not even by the officer who first got to Rishi. He summoned a fellow officer to start CPR, stated Ruperti. The family started a so-called Article 12 procedure at the court in The Hague. The procedure will most likely have no effect on the trial, scheduled for Monday, argue criminal scholars. They expect the procedure to have little chance to stiffen the charges, because indictments are the jurisdiction of the OM. If the complaints about resuscitation are upheld, they will be dealt with in a new trial, because none of the officers are currently being prosecuted on that charge. Rishi's family has decided not to be present at the trial Monday, announced Ruperti. The fear of the sentence being disappointing is too great, and that is psychologically stressful. They can't handle it emotionally, according to the lawyer.