Netherlands court orders release of Palestinian activist Amin Abu Rashed

A court in the Netherlands has ordered the release of Amin Abu Rashed, head of the Conference of Palestinians in Europe, Quds Press reported.

His lawyer, Nick van Bremen, told the agency in previous statements that the prosecution had failed to provide evidence to prove that Abu Rashed had sent money to Hamas, which the Netherlands considers a terrorist organisation, explaining that the defence team had provided evidence that funds had been sent to support orphans in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, applying pretrial detention pending investigation is very easy in the Netherlands, and this is what happened in the case of Abu Rashed. Without convincing evidence, and only with suspicions, he was placed in pretrial detention, despite reports regarding his health condition,” he added.

According to the lawyer, the Dutch judiciary relied on “media reports and old investigations from 20 years ago, as well as old photos showing people affiliated with the Hamas movement,” pointing out that “all this information is provided by Israeli sources (the Israeli Security Authority, for example), as well as American sources.” He stressed that there are no actual independent investigations conducted by the Netherlands into the case.

“There is a feeling among the prosecution, and it does not amount to even suspicion or evidence. It is known that Abu Rashed was an activist on behalf of the Palestinian people for many years, and his interest was not in politics, but rather in helping those in need. Therefore, it is unfortunate to see the investigation tainted by Israeli interference,” van Bremen continued.

Amin Abu Rashed is a Palestinian who holds Dutch citizenship, and is known for his humanitarian activity for the Palestinian cause. The Dutch security authorities arrested him in June last year, on suspicion of sending funds to organisations linked to Hamas.

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