Press Review Friday 3 June 2011
Suspected war criminal Ratko Mladic faces his first day in court, while Geert Wilders gives a remarkable closing speech at his own trial. TV icon Willem Duys dies, but apparently not everyone is mourning. Prostitutes have hit hard times, though birthday centenarians Willy and Leny are having a good time today.
Mladic to appear in court
There’s been so much coverage of Ratko Mladic you would expect the papers to be scraping for stories by now. But no, today the suspected war criminal is to appear before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to confirm his name and let the world know whether or not he understands the charges against him.
Trouw sees it as an opportunity to learn how Mladic responds to the court. Will he recognise it? Will he accept a defence lawyer or defend himself like former Serb politician Radovan Karadzic? And how sick is he really? Mladic’s lawyer says he won’t make it to the end of his case because he’s suffering from lymph node cancer. The Serbian Public Prosecutor says it's all “bluff”.
Meanwhile, Trouw introduces the Dutch judge who will be one of three to preside over the case. Alphons Orie is a music lover with a reputation for not allowing leaders off the hook. But there is one hitch. He’s Dutch.
Judge Orie was removed from an earlier case for fear that the defence would object to his nationality, a possible cause for bias. Mladic stands accused of the genocide of 8000 men and boys from Srebrenica, which was meant to be under the protection of Dutch troops. But it may be a year before his case actually begins.
Read RNW coverage of the story.
Geert Wilders compares himself to historic Dutch figures
While Mladic faces his first day in court, anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders had the last word at his own trial. The controversial MP, who is being tried for insulting Muslims as a people and inciting hatred and discrimination, gave a speech in which he compared himself to great historic Dutch figures. De Volkskrant asks the experts to analyse Wilders’ words. Their conclusion: the closing plea was a strong show of rhetoric, but historically inaccurate.
Without delving into a history lesson, let it be noted how many of those figures met untimely ends because of their convictions. Trying to draw parallels with some, Wilders describes how he travels in an armoured vehicle every day surrounded by security personnel for the sake of the free word.
But the free world meant something quite different 300 years ago. In 1672, Johann de Wit wrote his Manifesto for True Freedom, but he was talking about freedom for the province of Holland. A study of his pamphlets shows Mr de Wit was actually in favour of censorship. Likewise, Johan van Oldenbarnevelt lost his head in 1619 after resisting the strict Calvinist politics of Prince Maurits.
As de Volkskrant writes: “Van Oldenbarnevelt advocated freedom of conscience. That means that everyone has the right to believe in what he wants. But that did not mean they should express this in public.”
The paper warns that these kinds of comparisons are risky – you can get it awfully wrong. Their conclusion: Wilders claims to be a defender of the truth, but his truth is supported by some experts of Islam and rejected by numerous others.
Read RNW coverage of the story.
Television icon dies at 82
Talking of Dutch greats, the famous TV personality Willem Duys has died at the age of 82. People outside the country may never heard of him, but in the Netherlands, Duys is a reknowned TV and radio pioneer.
Photos of him looking through his hallmark goldfish bowl are splashed across many front pages. Apparently, the goldfish seldom survived a show, thanks to the heat beating down from studio lights. De Telegraaf writes: “When Duys was on TV, the streets were quiet.”
But according to de Volkskrant, “the icon was admired and reviled” because of his strong right-wing views. The paper recalls how his hate ran so deep that he moved to the South of France when Labour won ten seats under Prime Minister Den Uyl’s leadership in 1977.
In his obituary, Trouw calls Duys an icon with a nose for talent. Before people realised the power of television, he was using his chat shows to promote the artists on his own record labels. His career could have gone quite differently; after his first onscreen appearance, he was told off for talking too much. Luckily, someone realised he not only had the gift of the gab, but talent too.
Prostitutes hit hard times
According to De Spits, “Whores are hungry.” Food boxes, normally only given to help ex-prostitutes no longer in the game get by, are now being handed out to working girls. The slump in business has led to hard times. For example, one woman who works a bed by day sleeps on the street at night. Some women are switching shifts to see if they can earn more at night.
It’s not just economic malaise leading to the downturn. Part of the problem are new rules and regulations that put off the punters. One man who deals with the fate of prostitutes in Amsterdam is Frits Rouvoet, brother of former Christian Union leader André Rouvoet.
He used to own a Christian bookshop in the Red Light District, though now runs a foundation called Blood-n-Fire which helps ex-prostitutes cope. These days, he sees how working girls are unable to make ends meet. The good Samaritan, however, doesn’t want his face to appear in the paper – not everybody likes what he does.
The Netherlands’ oldest twins turn 100
Willy and Leny Nowee celebrate their 100th birthday today, the AD tell us. They were born in Naaldwijk, near The Hague, to an already large family with five children. The twins were inseparable as they grew up.
Leny is currently in a nursing home, while she recovers from a broken kneecap. But that won’t stop either from celebrating in style – in golden dresses accessorised with silver scarves.
And do they have plans for the future? When she is better, Leny hopes she and her sister can move to a little house in their town of birth. Perhaps they’ll think to invite over the world’s oldest twins. The Ukrainian Melnikova sisters are 106!
(nc/kh)