Van Gogh Murderer Sentenced to Life
Mohammed Bouyeri, an Amsterdam-born Muslim of Moroccan descent, was found guilty of killing Theo van Gogh in early November of last year as he cycled to work in Amsterdam. He shot and stabbed Van Gogh, slashing his throat and then pinning a note to his body with a knife. The attack was carried out in broad daylight.
Brutal killing
Judge Udo Willem Bentinck told Amsterdam District Court on Tuesday that 27 year old Bouyeri had murdered Van Gogh in a gruesome manner without mercy, and had shown no remorse for his actions.
Bouyeri has vowed he would do it again, the judge said, if he were ever set at liberty. The court believes there is no chance that he could be rehabilitated or reintegrated back into society without a very real risk. Society must therefore be given the maximum protection against him.
The judge also said the murder had provoked a wave of revulsion and disdain in the Netherlands. Bouyeri confessed to the murder during his trial earlier this month, saying he had been motivated by his religious convictions. He praised Allah and carried the Koran in court during the trial.
Bouyeri was also found guilty of the attempted murder of eight police officers and two bystanders, the illegal possession of weapons and munitions, and threatening Somali-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
End of the innocence
"The Netherlands has lost its innocence. Our country has suddenly become a target of international terrorism," prosecutor Frits van Straelen said during the trial.
Prosecutors said Bouyeri who waived the right to mount a defence, was a radical Muslim dedicated to a holy war against what he regarded as the enemies of Islam, and had murdered Van Gogh to spread terror in the Netherlands.
Theo Van Gogh was a descendent of the brother of the 19th century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. He was known for his outspoken criticism of Islam and angered many Muslims by making a film called Submission which accused Islam of condoning violence against women.
His murder sparked a wave of attacks on mosques, religious schools and churches in a country once renowned for its tolerance, and raised questions about the integration of the almost one million Muslims living in the Netherlands.
Van Gogh's killing revived memories of the murder of anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn by an aminal rights activist in 2002, which also exposed mounting tension in the Netherlands over the country's large foreign population.
Mark Caldwell
© DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE 2005
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