Support Our Work Mailing list About / Contact

Pro-Eurojust organises Amsterdam police raid

01 January 2002

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

On 17 January 2001, police in Amsterdam raided a so-called "legalised squat" and arrested Juan Ramón Rodrìguez Fernández, wanted by the Spanish police in connection with the separatist Basque group ETA. Up to 200 special criminal investigators and riot police entered the residential area at 3.30 a.m., searching all 14 apartments, and allegedly leaving a woman needing stitches after she was struck by a police baton. Several Spanish books, two mobile phones and a toy gun collection were confiscated by the police. Fernández was visiting Amsterdam on holiday.
The raid was organised by the provisional "Eurojust" EU prosecutions unit. "Pro-Eurojust" was created in December 2000 and will be located in the Hague when a Council Decision is rubber-stamped by ministers. Currently comprised of a prosecutor from each member state, the unit handled 170 cases in its first year. In its provisional form, pro-Eurojust was technically an EU Council working party with a mandate to facilitate cross-border investigations and prosecutions.
Activists in Holland suspect the raid was carried out in order to harass and discredit the squatters, whose premises had been referred to as a "no-go area" for the police. Under the recently agreed European Arrest Warrant, which will enter force in 2004, the Dutch police would have been obliged to pick up and hand over Juan.

For full story see: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/feb/02eurojust.htm

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 Previous article

EU-US: Creation of a Northern "axis"?

Next article 

Europe - new material (43)

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error

Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.

About | Contact | Privacy Policy