Support for relatives facing media attention after crimes

◆2 sources

Namens de Familie, part of Victim Support Netherlands, assists victims and relatives after crimes, serious accidents and disappearances when they face unwanted media attention or choose to speak publicly. The organisation helps them consider their message, prepares them for press coverage, and is often present at press conferences and court hearings.

It can also ask for photographs and surnames to be removed from media and online publications. The organisation said it had supported 1,500 families in its seven years of operation, including relatives of people involved in several recent fatal cases. It also seeks to encourage media organisations and members of the public to consider the impact of publishing material about victims and their families.

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Crime

Review of police response to Hajar’s disappearance

2 sources

Police are reviewing why the disappearance of 29-year-old Hajar was initially classified as non-urgent after her family reported her missing on Sunday evening. Her family said she had sent a message asking for help and saying that someone was killing her. Police later treated the case as urgent, about a day later. Police have not disclosed why the initial assessment was made, citing privacy reasons, but said they consider multiple factors in missing-person cases, including prior disappearances and signs of violence. A police spokesperson said the handling of the case is being examined and that conclusions will be released later. A former detective said the assessment cannot be judged until that review is complete and that any mistakes should be acknowledged.

Crime

Investigation into the death of Hajar

7 sources

Police arrested a 23-year-old man in Spierdijk on suspicion of involvement in the death of Hajar, a 29-year-old woman from Amsterdam. Her body was found in a suitcase by the water on the Amsteldijk in Amsterdam's Rivierenbuurt. The suspect has a permanent residence permit and came to the Netherlands when he was six, according to one report. Mayor Femke Halsema expressed condolences to Hajar's relatives, who asked for privacy, and said the city will continue measures intended to improve women's safety. Halsema said she would not comment on whether police had taken Hajar's disappearance seriously enough, pending an investigation that she expects to be completed within weeks. She also called for restraint over speculation about the suspect's background while the police investigation continues. Women's organisations said Hajar's death had deeply affected women close to her and renewed attention to women's safety, while stressing that the circumstances of her death remain unclear.

Crime

Hajar’s body found in a suitcase in the Amstel

1 source

The body of 29-year-old Hajar was found in a suitcase in the Amstel in Amsterdam on October 16. Her death was being investigated as a murder, while many questions about the case remained unanswered. A podcast episode examined what was known about Hajar’s death, how the news was reported locally and the state of the investigation.

Crime

Questions over police response in Hajar case

3 sources

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said she had been informed before a Tuesday-night press conference about messages sent by the missing woman Hajar. She said a preliminary timeline had been shared with her, but that the information had to be handled exceptionally carefully because the investigation remains ongoing. She declined to judge the police response, including why the case was classified as urgent only a day after the messages.