The court in Middelburg has today ruled that two Ukrainian suspects of people smuggling must be released so that they can fight against the Russians in their own country.
On March 18, the court decided the same in an almost identical case. Now it concerns two Ukrainians who were caught last September when they tried to smuggle sixteen Albanians to Great Britain with a sailing yacht from Breskens. They attracted the attention of the harbor master, after which the police checked and arrested them.
Both men have since been jailed pending trial. The council chamber in Middelburg today considered the request of their lawyers to release the two for the time being. The men have minor children in Ukraine, among other things. They want to bring them to safety and help defend their country.
Serious circumstances
The council chamber agreed to the request. The court finds that there are ‘special and serious circumstances’. Another consideration is that the handling of their criminal case cannot be expected in the short term. In one of the two men, the share in the case is also relatively limited.
Henk van Asselt, counsel for one of the suspects, is pleased with the judgment of the chamber. “On March 10, we had made the same request. That was then rejected by the court. And what is our surprise: a week later it turned out that the same court had released another Ukrainian in a human trafficking case. That is why we have submitted another request. Fortunately, the court has now agreed.”
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