Dutch gov't wants suspects in high-security prisons to attend hearings via video call

Suspects in the highest security prison in the Netherlands must attend their hearings via a video connection. The Cabinet supports this plan by VVD parliamentarian Ulysse Ellian, said State Secretary Teun Struycken (Legal Protection). The suspect will only go to court physically if the judge decides so.

Ellian proposed an amendment to the new Code of Criminal Procedure so that suspects from both the most severe Extra Secure Institution (EBI) in Vught and the relatively severe Intensive Supervision Departments (AITs) appear before the judge digitally. Transporting suspects to and from court involves too high costs and risks, Ellian believes. Because of the heavily secured transport with, for example, gang leader Ridouan Taghi, a separate courtroom is already being built in the prison in Vught.

As far as the EBI is concerned, Struycken can “embrace” the proposal, he said. But to also conduct the cases of dozens of prisoners in the AITs digitally is going too far for him at the moment. There are no facilities there to conduct so many video trials, he said. Moreover, it might restrict AIT prisoners’ right to be present at a hearing too much.

State Secretary Struycken proposed to have his civil servants think along with Ellian about an amendment that the Cabinet fully supports. That amendment still has to be adopted by parliament, and the entire law must then go through the Senate. The intention is for the new Code of Criminal Procedure to come into effect on 1 April 2029.

Ellian has submitted various proposals around EBI prisoners and their legal representation in recent months. He also proposed not allowing lawyers to represent more than two prisoners in the EBI at a time, and for EBI prisoners not to have more than two lawyers. Last year, he also proposed allowing the authorities to record conversations between lawyers and EBI clients under certain conditions.