Dutch Court Rules State Negligent in Protecting Crown Witness Family in Marengo Trial

The Hague court ruled that the Dutch state acted unlawfully by failing to provide adequate protection to the family of Nabil B., a crown witness in the Marengo case against drug lord Ridouan Taghi. The court held this violated Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Nabil B. had agreed in 2017 to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence. After his cooperation became public in spring 2018, his brother Reduan B., who had no role in the case, was shot dead. The judge concluded the murder could have been prevented with timely security measures.

The court declined to award additional compensation to the family, who intend to appeal the decision. The judgment echoes a 2023 report by the Dutch Safety Council that identified serious shortcomings in the protection of relatives of crown witnesses, noting earlier killings of lawyer Derk Wiersum and journalist Peter R. de Vries.