radikal: raid in the netherlands

[tank <tank@xs4all.nl>]

PRESS-DECLARATION  14-12-96
After the German authorities tried to force their censorship on people's
thoughts and writings worldwide on the Internet, Germany now tries to
prosecute a person who lives in the Netherlands for the making of the
left-wing newspaper Radikal.

In the morning of the 11th of December there was a houseraid in the
village of Vaals (The Netherlands). In the raid ten local police-officers,
a high officer from the Maastricht-court, two LKA (Landes Kriminal Ambt)
German officers and two BKA (Bundes Kriminal Ambt) German officers took
place.

The 16 German and Dutch officers forced themselves into the house with the
help of a lock specialist. The only person at home during the raid only
noticed it after some time when the room next to her was already being
searched. The german and dutch police refuged to explain the reason for
this raid. German autorities refered to the dutch ones for explanations
and the other way around. It was only after insisting that they explained
the search warrant came from the german authorities in Karlsruhe. During
the two hour raid two personal computers, floppy-discs, foto's, a pamflet
and some Radikal stickers were seized.

During this whole operation it was not clear against who or what this
action was aimed and why this house was searched. It only became clear
after the raid when another person came home from his work and phoned his
mother in Aachen (Germany). At his mothers house there was also a house
raid going on, nothing was taken there.

At this house-raid six LKA officers took part and in a paper they
declaired to have reasons for this raid because of evidence found in the
raid in Vaals. "During the raid at the suspect's house evidence was found
(...) that show the suspect (...) is using the house of his mother as
well". This evidence consisted of his mother's car papers.

The declaration paper alsow showed the purpose of the raid: " The search
for Radikal publications, subscribers lists and financial information".
The suspect is being charged with the making and distributing of the left
wing newspaper Radikal. A newspaper that is forbidden only in Germany .

The supposed involvement with a political magazine, forbidden in Germany,
apparently is enough for the Dutch authorities to work for the German
juridical apparatus. This means that the German idea of law and order
concerning magazines leads to the joint persecution of a Spanish citizen
living in the Netherlands. Although the magazine is entirely legal in the
Netherlands.

The dimension of the German-Dutch cooperation within the framework of the
new "European Security Policy" is shown here in a very clear way. It shows
that an attempt is made to completely redefine the persecution, across all
borders, of politically unwanted people.

Solidaritygroup Political Prisoners
P/o box 3762 
1001 AN Amsterdam
The Nertherlands

<tank@xs4all.nl>