Dutch MEP's reach out to parliament in India to get kidnapped Amsterdam girl back
The Dutch Members of European Parliament have written to the parliament of Maharashtra, India, asking the MPs for help in bringing the kidnapped Amsterdam girl, Insiya Hemani, back home to her mother. The now 11-year-old girl was abducted at her father’s orders in 2016. She is believed to still be with him in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
“For nearly a decade, the child has grown up separated from her mother, her cultural roots, and her country of nationality,” the MEPs wrote in the letter, initiated by Bart Groothuis (VVD). They point out that Insiya has Dutch nationality alone and, as far as is known, does not have valid travel documentation or a residency permit in India.
They also point to the Supreme Court ruling convicting her father, Shehzad Hemani, and his accomplices of her unlawful removal from her parental authority and kidnapping. The Supreme Court ruling is final, with no appeals possible, and binding under Dutch law.
“The Government of the Netherlands has raised this case through diplomatic channels at the highest level, including in discussions with President Modi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar,” the MEPs wrote. So far, with no success. Prime Minister Rob Jetten will raise the matter again with President Narendra Modi during an upcoming visit.
The MEPs asked the parliamentarians in Maharashtra to help by raising Insiya’s case with the relevant authorities and higher up in their government.
“We like to emphasize that this letter is written in full recognition of India’s legal sovereignty,” they wrote. They acknowledge that India is not a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. “At the same time, India has long been respected internationally for its commitment to child welfare, family values, and humanitarian principles. It is in this spirit that we respectfully bring this matter to your attention.”
The letter is signed by every Dutch Member of the European Parliament.
Insiya was abducted from her grandmother’s home in Amsterdam nearly a decade ago, on 29 September 2016. A group of armed men grabbed the 2-year-old girl from her grandmother and smuggled her to her father, Shehzad Hemani. Multiple courts have ruled that Hemani orchestrated the Amsterdam girl’s abduction. The kidnappers took the child to India, where she is still believed to be.
Insiya’s mother, Nadia Rashid, has not had contact with her for nine years. She has not stopped fighting to bring her daughter back and still regularly contacts Dutch parliamentarians and other politicians to make sure Insiya’s plight remains in their minds.
