Van den Broek thought it was a strange request, she told RTL News. That drawings may be made during a court hearing is clearly stated in the press directive that the case law maintains. Furthermore, there are no conditions.
Judge or art critic?
The judge in Groningen would be afraid of ‘photo-resembling’ drawings of the suspect. But because photography is not allowed in Dutch courts because of the privacy of suspects, that option is always there. “Since when is a judge also an art critic?” wonders Van den Broek’s colleague Petra Urban.
Van den Broek shared her frustrations about today’s events on Instagram. As a small protest, she also drew a variant with Mickey Mouse as a face.
“You want to portray someone as well as possible and as similar as possible,” says Van den Broek. For her, the focus in her drawings is mainly on the human aspect of suspects, so that there is another person behind the suspect.
‘Unfollowable’
The court’s request has caused an uproar on social media, including Twitter. Sander Dekker, journalist at Dagblad van het Noorden, was also present at the trial and saw it happen. “Unfollowable,” he writes on Twitter.
“The press directive states that drawing is allowed. The moment the court says: the drawing is too good, or something to that effect, then in my opinion you are going against that directive,” Dekker tells RTL News.
Court draftsman Petra Urban is more often asked by lawyers not to sign or to move, but that Van den Broek received the request from the judge today, Urban does not think it is possible. “Since when can a judge determine what a journalist is allowed to draw or write?”
Journalistic freedom
Urban also wonders what yardstick you should use for court drawings. “Are you going to hold the suspect next to it to determine: this seems or not?” It cannot be the intention, she says, that she comes up with images that are factually incorrect.
According to Urban, a court draftsman often ends up in an awkward place in court. Sometimes, according to her, there are circumstances that lead to this, for example during the corona period. “But the argument with which it is done, that is where it rubs. That interferes with your journalistic freedom.”
“The draftsman is quickly screwed,” says Urban. According to her, draughtsmen are quickly seen as unimportant. Heleen van den Broek also recognizes this: “Draughtsmen are hardly taken into account, if at all.”
Although Van den Broek was able to do her job in court today, it was made more difficult by the judge’s request. “Public access is a great asset. What’s next?” Petra Urban wonders.
The Groningen court was not available for comment.
