Attack on crime reporters: Who is Peter R. de Vries?

The background to the attack on journalist de Vries is still unclear. He reports on spectacular crimes, tracks down criminals and often testifies in court. Allegedly he was on two death lists.

Why is de Vries so famous?

Peter Rudolf de Vries is an award-winning investigative journalist and is considered the leading crime reporter in the Netherlands. According to his own statements, he dealt with a total of around 500 murder cases in the course of his professional life. His career began with reporting on the kidnapping of brewery owner Freddy Heineken in 1983. De Vries tracked down one of the kidnappers in Paraguay. He wrote a book about it that was later made into a film with Anthony Hopkins and Sam Worthington in the lead roles (“Kidnapping Freddy Heineken”).

He became known to a wide audience through his own TV show “Peter R. de Vries, misdaadverslaggever” (in German: “Peter R. de Vries, crime reporter”), which ran on Dutch television from 1995 to 2012 (264 issues). The TV format is comparable to the German ZDF program “Aktenzeichen XY … ungelöst”. Spectacular criminal cases were presented, which were often cleared up on the basis of the broadcast.

As an independent investigative journalist, he made a name for himself with reports on the Dutch underworld. He exposed investigations by the Dutch secret service AIVI and police corruption. In 2008 he won an international Emmy for his TV show about the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway while vacationing on the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005.

De Vries testified several times in spectacular cases in court, including in a murder trial against former Heineken kidnapper Willem Holleeder. He is currently involved in the so-called “Marengo Trial” against organized crime.

What is the “Marengo Process” about?

The “Marengo Trial” is the largest criminal trial in Dutch history to date and the largest against organized crime. The alleged leader of a mafia gang, Ridouan Taghi, is charged. Taghi was one of the most wanted people in Europe until his arrest in Dubai in 2019. He has been in prison since his extradition to the Netherlands.

The trial against him and a total of 16 suspects has been going on for some time. The accused are said to belong to the Moroccan mafia. In addition to drug trafficking, there are several contract killings. The ARD reported in February in World mirror about the process.

De Vries is an advisor and confidante of the key witness. The key witness’s brother and lawyer were shot two years ago.

Have there been death threats against de Vries?

It is known that de Vries received death threats two years ago when he reported on the murder of a 16-year-old girl in Rotterdam. The reporter has long been considered a possible target by criminals, about which he persistently reported. A few days ago he announced that he would continue to work on solving a murder that had been unsolved for 27 years.

De Vries himself said that he was also on Taghi’s “death list”. There is no confirmation of this. The police and the public prosecutor also do not want to comment on whether de Vries was last under police protection. According to his own statements, de Vries had always refused personal protection. “That is part of the occupational risk,” he said recently in an interview. He wants to live free and not allow fear to dominate him.

Why is de Vries so popular in the Netherlands?

For many Dutch people – including the royal couple – de Vries is a fearless fighter against crime. It is the last straw for victims and relatives to get justice or certainty. The reporter bites into cases and only lets go when they are resolved. With 44 television programs, he ensured the resumption of a notorious murder case – and in the end the acquittal of two innocent men.

However, de Vries is not without controversy. In the past, lawyers and journalists often criticized him for his methods and friendly contacts with informants from the underworld. Some consider him arrogant or call him a know-it-all. De Vries often mixed his roles: sometimes he appeared as a spokesman for victims’ families, then again as an objective journalist or as a confidante of the key witness.

How do fellow journalists react to the attack?

The organization Reporters Without Borders demanded immediate and complete clarification. “The authorities have to check whether de Vries was a victim of organized crime because of his critical and fearless journalistic activity,” said managing director Christina Mihr.

In a joint statement, the international and European federations of journalists spoke of “a new tragic blow against freedom of the press in Europe”. The clients and perpetrators of “this terrible attack” must be identified and brought to justice as quickly as possible.

“That was a deliberate attempt to intimidate journalists who report on organized crime,” said the federal chairman of the German Association of Journalists (DJV), Frank Überall. “The attack was intended to muzzle critical and courageous journalism.”

The Federal Managing Director of the German Union of Journalists (dju / ver.di), Monique Hofmann, said: “This attack hit independent journalism and freedom of the press to the core.” She called on European governments to act quickly and take effective measures to protect media workers.