The Hague, August 10, 2023 – Today, The Hague Court examined the case of Ilham Ashkin, President of the “Turkish-Azerbaijani Cultural Union” of The Hague. It sentenced him to a fine of 1,000 euros and a 2-month suspended prison sentence with a two-year probationary period by Articles 137c and 137d of the Dutch Penal Code for publicly targeting Armenians. on charges of insulting and inciting violence.
He was previously convicted for similar statements against Armenians. Various courts in the Netherlands convicted him of inciting violence against Armenians. The Almelo Court handed down the previous sentence on March 17, 2017, and the Arnhem/Zwolle Court of Appeal reaffirmed the verdict on November 14, 2018. According to the decision of the Supreme Court on April 14, 2020, the appeal court’s judgment remained unchanged.
The judge considered both the new offenses presented and the sentence for the previous offenses, so he doubled the last suspended sentence in addition to the fine. The judge stated that the prison sentence would no longer be suspended in case of a further violation.
The conviction took place because it was considered proven that the suspect called Armenians terrorists, among other labels, during a demonstration in The Hague on February 26, 2020, in violation of articles 137c and 137d of the Dutch Criminal Code. Freedom of speech, which is the basis, is not absolute and ends where the law, in this case, Articles 137c and 137d of the Dutch Penal Code, defines the limits of freedom of speech, i.e., it punishes, among others, intentional insult and racial ( among others) to incite hatred and discrimination against any group.
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The Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands (FAON) welcomes the Hague Court’s decision. It expects that other anti-Armenian cases reported by FAON, including those involving Ilham Ashkin, will appear before the Court in the foreseeable future.
Federation of Armenian Organizations of the Netherlands
