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"Van Gogh defendant confesses to murder
By Gregory Crouch The New York Times
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2005
AMSTERDAM A young Muslim man broke his self-imposed silence in court here on Tuesday and coolly accepted responsibility for the brutal slaying of a controversial Dutch filmmaker, adding that he would do it all over again if given the chance. Shaken by Theo van Gogh's horrific death — he was shot last November at least six times before his throat was slashed — the Dutch heard for the first time Tuesday the voice of his assailant, who spoke of the murder in the same matter-of-fact manner as some eyewitnesses say it was executed. Muhammad Bouyeri, the 27-year-old son of Moroccan immigrants, showed no remorse to the court or to the victim's family, saying he killed van Gogh based on his religious beliefs. "I acted out of conviction and not out of hate," Bouyeri told the court. "If I'm ever released, I'd do the same again. Exactly the same." He added that his actions were based on "the law that instructs me to chop off the head of everyone who insults Allah or the Prophet,'' Muhammad. In a moment of courtroom drama, Bouyeri addressed Anneke van Gogh, the victim's mother, who made an emotional statement about the personal and political impact of the loss of her son when the trial opened on Monday.
"I don't feel your pain," Bouyeri told her. "I don't know what it's like to lose a child that was brought into this world with so much pain and tears. I realize that my attitude is very confrontational for you and others. I hope that you will derive some comfort from the maximum sentence." Prosecutors had just asked a three-judge panel to sentence Bouyeri to life in prison. ''The accused preaches a message of hate and violence,'' a prosecutor, Frits van Straelen, told the court. ''He preaches that anyone who thinks differently can be killed." Van Gogh, along with the Somalian-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, made a short but provocative film last year about the abuse of Muslim women that resulted in death threats against both of them after it aired on Dutch television. Bouyeri entered court Monday with a copy of the Koran and refused all comment beyond a brief invocation of Allah in Arabic. Prosecutors then tried to break down his resolve to remain silent, accusing him at one point of being a coward, too afraid to speak up. Their techniques appear to have worked — once he broke his silence, Bouyeri spoke for some minutes.
Originally, Bouyeri had tried to boycott the entire trial, refusing to attend the proceedings until a court order forced him to do so. A formal verdict and sentencing are expected on July 26. After killing van Gogh, Bouyeri left a five-page note pinned to the body. It quoted the Koran and was addressed to Hirsi Ali. She went into hiding for several weeks after the killing. "
("After killing van Gogh, Bouyeri left a five-page note pinned to the body."...um...pinned?...I thought it was stuck to him with a knife in the chest...or was he nice and had pinned it on like you do a flower on your gran's bosom?...interesting how a few words change the entire picture of a situation.)
Van Gogh defendant confesses to murder
By Gregory Crouch The New York Times
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2005
AMSTERDAM A young Muslim man broke his self-imposed silence in court here on Tuesday and coolly accepted responsibility for the brutal slaying of a controversial Dutch filmmaker, adding that he would do it all over again if given the chance. Shaken by Theo van Gogh's horrific death — he was shot last November at least six times before his throat was slashed — the Dutch heard for the first time Tuesday the voice of his assailant, who spoke of the murder in the same matter-of-fact manner as some eyewitnesses say it was executed. Muhammad Bouyeri, the 27-year-old son of Moroccan immigrants, showed no remorse to the court or to the victim's family, saying he killed van Gogh based on his religious beliefs. "I acted out of conviction and not out of hate," Bouyeri told the court. "If I'm ever released, I'd do the same again. Exactly the same." He added that his actions were based on "the law that instructs me to chop off the head of everyone who insults Allah or the Prophet,'' Muhammad. In a moment of courtroom drama, Bouyeri addressed Anneke van Gogh, the victim's mother, who made an emotional statement about the personal and political impact of the loss of her son when the trial opened on Monday.
"I don't feel your pain," Bouyeri told her. "I don't know what it's like to lose a child that was brought into this world with so much pain and tears. I realize that my attitude is very confrontational for you and others. I hope that you will derive some comfort from the maximum sentence." Prosecutors had just asked a three-judge panel to sentence Bouyeri to life in prison. ''The accused preaches a message of hate and violence,'' a prosecutor, Frits van Straelen, told the court. ''He preaches that anyone who thinks differently can be killed." Van Gogh, along with the Somalian-born Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, made a short but provocative film last year about the abuse of Muslim women that resulted in death threats against both of them after it aired on Dutch television. Bouyeri entered court Monday with a copy of the Koran and refused all comment beyond a brief invocation of Allah in Arabic. Prosecutors then tried to break down his resolve to remain silent, accusing him at one point of being a coward, too afraid to speak up. Their techniques appear to have worked — once he broke his silence, Bouyeri spoke for some minutes.
Originally, Bouyeri had tried to boycott the entire trial, refusing to attend the proceedings until a court order forced him to do so. A formal verdict and sentencing are expected on July 26. After killing van Gogh, Bouyeri left a five-page note pinned to the body. It quoted the Koran and was addressed to Hirsi Ali. She went into hiding for several weeks after the killing. "
("After killing van Gogh, Bouyeri left a five-page note pinned to the body."...um...pinned?...I thought it was stuck to him with a knife in the chest...or was he nice and had pinned it on like you do a flower on your gran's bosom?...interesting how a few words change the entire picture of a situation.)
Van Gogh defendant confesses to murder
