International law firm Simmons & Simmons advised the Al Ansaar Foundation on a pro bono basis, helping them to secure a win against the municipality of Delft.
The District Court of the Hague recently delivered its judgment ruling in favour of our pro bono client Al Ansaar, recognising that the municipality had unlawfully infringed on the fundamental rights of the foundation's members through a secret investigation.
The case centred around a secret investigation commissioned by the mayor of Delft, Marja van Bijsterveldt, in 2017. The investigation targeted Islamic residents of Delft, specifically members of the Al Ansaar Mosque without their knowledge and without any cause. The mosque was unaware of this investigation at the time.
The team, led by Paul Tjiam, successfully argued that the municipality's actions were unlawful and infringed on the privacy rights of the mosque. The court ruled that Delft must provide Al Ansaar with access to the findings of the controversial investigation, which had been kept secret for years
Paul Tjiam commented: "We are thankful that our firm was able to represent Al Ansaar in their legal pursuit of justice against the municipality of Delft, which secretly surveilled and investigated them solely based on their religion. This action from a governmental body is wrong and breaches human rights, as is recognised by the court."
