Dutch prosecutors seek up to 20 years over alleged plot to kill Iranian activist

“You have sent me into loneliness,” Siamak Tahmasbi told the defendants at the high-security court at Schiphol on Thursday, according to Dutch news agency ANP. He attended the hearing with personal protection.

Addressing the defendants, Tahmasbi compared his circumstances with theirs. “The prison in which I live is much harsher than yours,” he said, adding that they could form friendships and take part in activities that were impossible for him. His remarks were reported in Dutch and have been translated here.

In an interview with Dutch current affairs programme Nieuwsuur on 6 November, Tahmasbi called his life since the attack “unofficial confinement”. He said he could go outside, but had to ask himself whether he would return safely.

Two armed men approached his home in Haarlem on the night of 5–6 June 2024. Tahmasbi pressed an emergency button, after which police arrested two men, ANP reported.

The trial of five men and a woman began on 6 November. They are suspected of involvement in the attempted murder and its preparation. In a statement that day, prosecutors said they planned to present their case and requested sentences on 12 November. The court’s judgment was scheduled for 21 December.

Update

The Dutch public prosecution service sought sentences against five men and a woman at a high-security court near Schiphol Airport, the ANP news agency reported. Prosecutors allege the group was prepared to kill Iranian activist and writer Siamak Tahmasbi for money.

The highest request, for 20 years, was made in absentia against 29-year-old Sami Bekal Bounouare, who is a fugitive. Prosecutors accuse him of directing the group.

Tahmasbi raised the alarm after seeing two men outside his home in Haarlem on the night of 5 to 6 June 2024. Police arrested the men nearby; they had loaded firearms and a sledgehammer, according to ANP.

Tahmasbi has criticised the Iranian government and was under protection because of possible threats. The Dutch intelligence service AIVD considers Iran likely to have been responsible for the attempted killing, but prosecutors say possible Iranian involvement is not part of this criminal investigation, which focuses on the alleged perpetrators and their suspected organiser.

Speaking to the defendants in court on Thursday, Tahmasbi said they had condemned him to loneliness. He told the Dutch current affairs programme Nieuwsuur earlier this month that life under protection felt like an unofficial imprisonment.

The prosecution service had previously said the court was scheduled to give its verdict on 21 December.