AFP Image for illustration: a member of the coalition that fought against IS in Syria in 2017 removes a flag of the terrorist group in the town of Tabqa
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 06:45
Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland had an employee for a year who was convicted of membership of the terrorist organization Islamic State. The 39-year-old woman worked on a voluntary basis as a legal assistant at the organization and had access to personal files and other data of refugees.
NOS has spoken to the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous. “I never had the feeling of ‘oops’ towards the clients who came to my consultation hours. I did the work with good intentions,” she says. “If your intentions are pure, you don’t have to look back.”
In 2019, the woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison, of which 10 months were conditional. The court in Rotterdam deemed it proven that she traveled to Baghdad in 2015 while heavily pregnant to join IS.
The phone of her brother, who had previously traveled to the self-declared caliphate to join the terrorist organization, contained photos of the woman posing next to an IS flag and holding a Kalashnikov. The judge blamed her for “not unequivocally distancing herself” from IS.
Vog the fix
She herself stated that she was visiting family and visiting the IS-controlled cities of Falluja and Mosul as a tourist. She also said that in the caliphate she only took care of her husband and family. The judge found that not credible. “I felt that I was indeed distancing myself from the actions of IS,” she says now. “I thought people there had to choose between two evils. I had a nuanced view on that.”
According to Vluchtelingenwerk, the woman was able to provide a valid statement regarding the behavior (vog). She got it, despite her conviction. The woman says that the Probation Service warned her that it could be difficult. “They said: ‘See if you can fix a vog. They didn’t say I couldn’t work at Vluchtelingenwerk.’
What is a declaration of behavior (vog)?
A declaration of conduct (vog) is often required for a job, internship or volunteer work. In some sectors, such as childcare, this is even legally required. The certificate is issued by the Justis screening authority. You can also receive a VOG if you have been convicted: only criminal offenses that pose a risk to the function or purpose for which the VOG has been applied for will be considered.
The standard period for looking back is 4 years, but for sexual offenses it can even be looked back indefinitely. For serious crimes and (the preparation of) a terrorist crime, the term is 20 years. The term also varies per position: a sworn interpreter must not have committed any relevant criminal offenses for 10 years, a judge must not have committed any relevant criminal offenses for 30 years. In principle, the date of conviction serves as the measuring point. If you have subsequently served a prison sentence, the time in prison does not count towards the review period; the time of detention is therefore, as it were, added to the review period.
Last year, 1,536,089 VOGs were applied for. Of these, 2728 were refused.
A spokesperson for Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland says that the organization recently became aware of their volunteer’s past. The collaboration with the woman was then terminated. “It is of course very precarious. We do not want potential perpetrators and victims to end up facing each other, but if a lawful certificate of good faith has been issued, we assume that this person can carry out voluntary work with us,” says a spokesperson.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Security, to which Justis falls, does not want to say how it is possible that the woman received a certificate despite her conviction. “We cannot comment on this individual case. Each requested VOG is tailor-made and an entire package is considered.”
Lost confidence
“Disgusting,” says founder Wahhab Hassoo of the NL helps Yazidis foundation. “If one of the most important refugee organizations has ties to someone who was part of a genocidal organization, then I have no words for that. Very sad. Countless Yazidis have become victims of IS, including my own family. I think it’s really scandalous.”
Hassoo, who also gave guest lessons for Vluchtelingenwerk, says he has lost his confidence in the organization. He doesn’t think the woman deserves a second chance. “A second chance deserves someone who stole a cookie, not someone who was a member of a terrorist organization.”
2023-10-17 04:45:50
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