By Wedienoch
February 14, 2016
On wednesday a civil court in Amsterdam ruled in favour of Mirjam Van Reisen. Van reisen was first summoned to court on 27 of January 2016 for making serious allegations about a fellow dutch citizen,Meseret Bahlibi.
In an interview with a dutch radio channel BNR,Van reisen claims that the sibling of two interpreters for the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) was "the pivot of intelligence service in Eritrea" referring to Bahlibi.
The Dutch citizen Meseret Bahlibi who also happens to be of Eritrean dissent, sued Van Reisen for making such libelous comments about him. Bahlibi vehemently denies being a spy, and was shocked by the outrageous comments made by Mirjam Van Reisen.
Van Reisen could not bring forth a single shred of evidence for her wild slanderous remarks about Bahlibi. As a result the court on wednesday concluded that "there is no evidence that the prosecutor is involved in the intelligence service".
Since the main reason of the lawsuit filed against Van Reisen was for making a slanderous comment about Bahlibi, many had thought the case was solved and that the Professor should of issued an apology.
In a bizarre turn of events, the Judge decided to ignore the fact that "no evidence was found" and made a judgment based on political considerations. "This is unheard of. Why would a judge give a verdict based on the prosecutors political affiliation, and ignore the fact that the Professor made serious allegations about this young man, wich have been disproved due to lack of any evidence?" asks a bewildered local journalist that has been following the case.
The Judge presiding over the case made her judgment based on the fact that he was a Dutch citizen who also happens to have love for his country of origin Eritrea and its government, says the local journalist who wishes not to be named. " Nederlanders have the right to love whom ever they want, we all have that right. This does not mean that justice should be denied to a person who loves something that others dont".
Many have questioned the integrity and professionalism of the court and Judge. "I think race has a huge role in this outcome" Says Daniel an Eritrean living in Amsterdam. "If this was a black Professor who made those remarks about a white man without any evidence, would the outcome have been the same?I think not!".
Eritrea as a nation has been the victim of many injustices. From illegal sanctions placed on it with out no evidence, to being crucified by the main stream media based on lies. It seems like its people abroad are now on the receiving end of the unfair and cruel justice system that prevails in this world.
The Eritreans remain unphased and undeterred. Many have been inspired by the courageous move of Meseret Bahlbi, in his quest for Justice. They say this is just the beginning and not the end.
On wednesday a civil court in Amsterdam ruled in favour of Mirjam Van Reisen. Van reisen was first summoned to court on 27 of January 2016 for making serious allegations about a fellow dutch citizen,Meseret Bahlibi.
In an interview with a dutch radio channel BNR,Van reisen claims that the sibling of two interpreters for the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) was "the pivot of intelligence service in Eritrea" referring to Bahlibi.
The Dutch citizen Meseret Bahlibi who also happens to be of Eritrean dissent, sued Van Reisen for making such libelous comments about him. Bahlibi vehemently denies being a spy, and was shocked by the outrageous comments made by Mirjam Van Reisen.
Van Reisen could not bring forth a single shred of evidence for her wild slanderous remarks about Bahlibi. As a result the court on wednesday concluded that "there is no evidence that the prosecutor is involved in the intelligence service".
Since the main reason of the lawsuit filed against Van Reisen was for making a slanderous comment about Bahlibi, many had thought the case was solved and that the Professor should of issued an apology.
In a bizarre turn of events, the Judge decided to ignore the fact that "no evidence was found" and made a judgment based on political considerations. "This is unheard of. Why would a judge give a verdict based on the prosecutors political affiliation, and ignore the fact that the Professor made serious allegations about this young man, wich have been disproved due to lack of any evidence?" asks a bewildered local journalist that has been following the case.
The Judge presiding over the case made her judgment based on the fact that he was a Dutch citizen who also happens to have love for his country of origin Eritrea and its government, says the local journalist who wishes not to be named. " Nederlanders have the right to love whom ever they want, we all have that right. This does not mean that justice should be denied to a person who loves something that others dont".
Many have questioned the integrity and professionalism of the court and Judge. "I think race has a huge role in this outcome" Says Daniel an Eritrean living in Amsterdam. "If this was a black Professor who made those remarks about a white man without any evidence, would the outcome have been the same?I think not!".
Eritrea as a nation has been the victim of many injustices. From illegal sanctions placed on it with out no evidence, to being crucified by the main stream media based on lies. It seems like its people abroad are now on the receiving end of the unfair and cruel justice system that prevails in this world.
The Eritreans remain unphased and undeterred. Many have been inspired by the courageous move of Meseret Bahlbi, in his quest for Justice. They say this is just the beginning and not the end.