Council of Europe warns Dutch about counter-terrorism plans

The Council of Europe is concerned about Dutch draft legislation to stop people traveling to join jihadi movements in Syria and has asked the government to explain its proposals, the NRC said on Tuesday.

The European human rights organisation has written to justice minister Ard van der Steur and home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk asking for more information about the draft legislation.

In particular, the organisation wants clarity on the plans to ban people ‘who could be connected with terrorism because of their behaviour’ from foreign travel – without a court order.

The wording of the proposal is extremely vague and open to wide interpretation, the council’s commissioner for human rights Nils Muiznieks said in the letter.

He is also concerned about withdrawing Dutch nationality from dual national jihadis and plans to expand security service monitoring powers.

Such repressive rules could lead to stimatising and alienating certain social groups, Muiznieks said. He warned the Netherlands that some of these measures could conflict with human rights treaties which the Netherlands has pledged to support.

The draft laws have not yet been approved by the upper house of parliament.