Deportation of Dutch Journalist Ans Boersma and The Ongoing Lawsuits Against Her
On January 16, 2018, Turkish police detained journalist Ans Boersma and authorities deported her hurriedly next morning without even being allowed to pack her belongings. The journalist was the economy editor at Het Financieele Dagblad. She was arrested and detained in Turkey after she applied for the renewal of her residence visa. The next day, the news circulated throughout the Netherlands reporting that a Dutch journalist was being deported from Turkey.
Following this development, Dutch authorities took to Twitter and condemned the deportation, holding Turkey responsible for suppressing the freedom of the press in the country. It was later revealed that Ans was not deported for what she had written but for her alleged involvement in an ongoing terrorism investigation.
On January 17, while waiting for her flight to the Netherlands, Ans also tweeted, “And then you are suddenly on the plane back to the Netherlands. Declared an undesirable person in Turkey.”
En dan zit je ineens in het vliegtuig terug naar Nederland. Ongewenst persoon verklaard in Turkije. #pressfreedom #freeturkeymedia https://t.co/xBUdFkhlbs
— Ans Boersma (@AnsBoersma) January 17, 2019
After reaching Schiphol, Dutch police requested information about where the journalist was located from Turkey. The Netherlands has inquired about the details of her entry and exit from the country. The Ministry of Justice had suspected her of forging the visa application of her ex-partner, unrelated to the suspicions of terrorism. Ans said she was visiting the Netherlands every three months, so police could have questioned her directly rather than involving the Turkish authorities.
The Turkish president's director of communication, Fahrettin Altun, issued a statement confirming that Ans Boersma’s deportation had nothing to do with her journalistic activities. He said her deportation was ordered on the intelligence provided by Dutch authorities in the Netherlands.
The Dutch prosecutor also confirmed that Ans was part of a high-profile investigation, but she was not a suspect. He stated that the journalist was not detained after she arrived in the Netherlands, claiming that the Dutch authorities did not request her deportation. Mr. Fahrettin Altun said that Dutch police accused Ans of being affiliated with a terrorist organization, and requested information about her whereabouts in Turkey. He said if a reliable government agency tells you that their citizen has links to some terrorist group, you do not take chances. Mr. Altun emphasized that only Dutch authorities would be able to explain how they came to this decision.
Following the news, the chief editor of FD called the incident a blatant violation of press freedom. The secretary of the Federation of Journalists, Thomas Bruning, also expressed his disapproval, describing the incident as “ a new low in anti-engaging policy”. The unfortunate turn of events was even discussed in parliament. The House of Representatives wanted to ask the foreign ministry to summon the Turkish envoy of the country.
Later on January 18, FD concluded that the chief editor found Ans was evasive in providing pertinent information. The newspaper said that Ans is unable to provide sufficient clarity for her suspected role in the crime. Most likely, the journalist is being scrutinized for her relationship with a Syrian who was held last summer in the Netherlands on suspicions of having links with a terrorist organization.
FD said that Ans should have informed the newspaper about her ex-partner’s arrest. The editor-in-chief of FD was very disappointed by the discovery of these details and asked for the journalist’s resignation.
Her lawyer Maarten Pijnenburg said that Ans was not even allowed to collect her belongings from her home. Pijnenburg said that it came as a complete shock to Ans how FD fired her rather than holding Dutch authorities accountable. The journalist was understandably distraught, as she swears she did nothing wrong in the short-term relationship she had with a friend from Syria. She claims in that period, she had no reason to suspect him as part of a terrorist organization.
Pijnenburg said that he believes that Dutch police put his client in a very vulnerable position when they contacted Turkish authorities. This unnecessary action endangered her life in Turkey and her future as a journalist.
Another story was published regarding Ans Boersma in de Volkskrant, written by journalists Anneke Stoffelen and Remco Andersen. In the story, Ans was associated with a man known to be heading a terrorist organization. The report intended to raise suspicion against the journalist, though their claims were unfounded with no tangible proof of Ans’ connection to the man in question. The article mentioned that Boersma knew of his involvement with Al Nusra, without providing any supporting evidence.
On January 24, 2019, Ans was interviewed about her deportation in Trouvv. She said about her ex-partner, "He allied himself with the opposition against Assad, in an alliance that was also supported by the West at the time.” She added, "He always said to me that he has no blood on his hands and has not committed any human rights violations.”
On February 15, 2019, Ans decided to file a lawsuit against the Dutch authorities. She held the Dutch government responsible for her deportation from Turkey and demanded compensation for her lost salary. She said that she lost everything in a matter of days because of how Dutch authorities tarnished her reputation.
According to the journalist, The Dutch National Public Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against Ans in charges of alleging forgery in documents. She will appear in court this May.
The first hearing of the case against Ans took place on September 23, 2019, in Istanbul’s first administrative court. The journalist could not attend the hearing due to her travel restrictions to Turkey. Her lawyer Veysel Ok said that the case is not just about the journalist’s deportation, saying it had a lot to do with freedom of the press. The administrative act of the case was rejected.
On December 27, 2020 after the court’s verdict Ans applied for the Supreme Court in Turkey. She requested three different orders from the court for respecting private life, freedom of expression and fair trial. Her case is still pending for more than one year.
In June 2020, after almost one and a half years since her deportation, Ans somehow found a way to stay afloat in the Netherlands. She is still working as a journalist, she recently wrote an article in the Guardian about the situation of refugees at the Greek border of Turkey
Ans has no idea when the criminal proceedings were going to begin in the Netherlands. One of her lawyers, Tom de Boer of the Prakken d’Oliveira law firm, also emphasized that his client has long awaited a response from the State Prosecution. There is still little to report on the liability claim she filed in September of 2019.
Her lawyer suggested that if there is no timely response from the authorities, Ans would have no other choice but to initiate civil proceedings against the Dutch state to receive compensation. Ans is committed to resolving the matter, as she intends to return to Turkey. Ans stated she was satisfied that NVJ, Netherlands Association of Journalists, were vigilantly following cases of journalists working abroad, especially in countries known for high threats to press freedom.
The Coalition For Women in Journalism urges the Dutch authorities to investigate the matter and provide the journalist, Ans Boersma, with the necessary support. We believe Ans was wrongfully targeted and had already suffered professionally. CFWIJ hopes that the Dutch government takes appropriate measures to resolve the matter, ensuring the journalist’s dignity as a top priority.
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