Rioter at chokehold protest may get 18 mo. in prison

The Public Prosecutor has demanded an 18 month prison sentence, eight of which conditionally suspended, against Micheal van der K. for his involvement in the Schilderswijk riots early in Junes. His case is one of the last to appear in court in a series of trials related to the riots. Van der K. is seen as one of the main suspects, according to newspaper AD. According to the Public Prosecutor, he was one of the first to turn to violence during the riots. Van der K. is suspected of throwing stones at officers, sedition and pillaging an Albert Heijn supermarket. He also posted a photo on Facebook showing a police officer involved in the arrest of Mitch Henriquez on one side and a Schilderswijk community officer on the other. According to the prosecutor, this suggested that the community officer was involved in Henriquez' death, which led to threats. The Schilderswijk riots started after the death of 42 year old Aruban man Mitch Henriquez. He passed away shortly after being arrested at a music festival in The Hague. His death sparked many rumors of police brutality and four consecutive days of rioting. More than 250 suspects were arrested. It also led to an investigation into the police's use of the chokehold move during arrests. The whole saga surrounding Henriquez' death can be read here. A total of four suspects linked to the Schilderswijk riots will be standing trial on Thursday. Later today Brahim A.A., Mohamed E. and Aesema M. will also be facing the judge. A fifth suspect, Jeffrey T. from Amsterdam, was also supposed to appear in court today, but he could not make it in time because he was "caught by surprise by a public transit strike in his city".