Fortuyn killer had leave from prison

Volkert van der G. who killed politician Pim Fortuyn has had his first taste of freedom.

State Secretary of Justice Fred Teeven informed the Second Chamber per letter on Monday that Van der G. (44) has been given his first monthly leave from prison. Teeven did not say when Van der G. went on leave and when next the killer will be released on trial. “I have complied with the decision of the Council for the Application of Criminal Law. (But) since this regards an individual case, I will not make any more statements about it,” Teeven wrote. The State Secretary had initially been opposed to granting leave to Van der G. The convict who admitted to have assassinated Fortuyn in 2002, will as of April this year have served two-thirds of his sentence; this makes him eligible for early release, preceded by leave from prison. But two months ago Teeven decided that Van de G. should not be granted leave, because there were it came with too many associated risks. Van der G. appealed the decision and the Council decided in December that before May this year, he should be allowed to live in the “free society” several times, as he prepares for his early release as of May. Van der G.’s leave came as a surprise to Pim Fortuyn’s brother Marten Fortuyn. “They did not inform me that this would happen; a relative of our received a phonecall today, but that was afterward, which is not what we agreed to,” he said. Van der G. (44) shot and killed Pim Fortuyn on May 5 2002, while Fortuyn was campaigning for the elections of that year. At his trial, Van der G. said he murdered the outspoken politician to stop him from exploiting Muslims as “scapegoats” and targeting “the weak members of society” in seeking political power. He was convicted on 15 April 2003.