Overview
- In a letter coordinated by Sander Janssen and Laura Versluis, 46 criminal defense lawyers told court presidents and chief prosecutors they are suspending client visits in the EBI and AIT units.
- The recently implemented Penitentiaire Beginselenwet introduced eye‑level camera monitoring of lawyer‑client meetings, bans on covering the mouth, and limits on client contact, with video recordings and unclear retention policies cited as key concerns.
- Lawyers warn case preparation will stall and hearings may be delayed because they cannot guarantee confidential discussions under continuous visual surveillance.
- The Council for the Judiciary expressed understanding for the protest and urged the minister to address the profession’s concerns and find a workable solution to protect the administration of justice.
- Demissionary state secretary Arno Rutte defended the tighter oversight, citing the Ridouan Taghi case as the rationale and estimating the measures affect at most about one hundred detainees.