Louis Sévèke
Encyclopedia
Jean Louis Bernhard Sévèke (Venray
, April 28, 1964 - Nijmegen, November 15, 2005) was a Dutch
radical left activist, journalist
and writer
. He was known for his legal action against the Police
and the Dutch intelligence service
.
On November 15, 2005 he was murder
ed, aged 41, in the town centre of Nijmegen. Since that time rumours of involvement of police or secret services have been abound. A year after the murder the police seemed to have made little headway. It has been suggested that the Dutch secret service (AIVD
) had a 24/7 surveillance on Sévèke at the time of his murder; however, there were no signs of information coming from the secret service to the police.
On March 28, 2007 the public prosecutor on the case revealed that a 38-year old man from Rotterdam
, named Martinus Hendrikus T. according to the Spanish
police, had confessed to the murder. The murderer and victim knew each other from the squatting
movement. The following day, it was revealed that revenge
might have been the motive for the murder. Some people suggest that Sévèke suspected T. to be an informant of the intelligence
agency, and T. had "sworn revenge" in his diary for being removed from the squatting scene because of that suspicion. Sévèke's family denies that T. was removed from the scene but instead went away himself as a result of a discussion on taking money from houseowners for leaving.
On March 7, 2008, T. was convicted for the assassination of Sévèke, and was sentenced to life imprisonment
.
Venray
Venray is a municipality and a town in Limburg, Netherlands, 115 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam. Venray has about 43,000 inhabitants.- Population centres :...
, April 28, 1964 - Nijmegen, November 15, 2005) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
radical left activist, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He was known for his legal action against the Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and the Dutch intelligence service
General Intelligence and Security Service
Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst , formerly known as the BVD is the General Intelligence and Security Service or The Secret service of the Netherlands. The office is in Zoetermeer...
.
On November 15, 2005 he was murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed, aged 41, in the town centre of Nijmegen. Since that time rumours of involvement of police or secret services have been abound. A year after the murder the police seemed to have made little headway. It has been suggested that the Dutch secret service (AIVD
General Intelligence and Security Service
Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst , formerly known as the BVD is the General Intelligence and Security Service or The Secret service of the Netherlands. The office is in Zoetermeer...
) had a 24/7 surveillance on Sévèke at the time of his murder; however, there were no signs of information coming from the secret service to the police.
On March 28, 2007 the public prosecutor on the case revealed that a 38-year old man from Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, named Martinus Hendrikus T. according to the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
police, had confessed to the murder. The murderer and victim knew each other from the squatting
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
movement. The following day, it was revealed that revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
might have been the motive for the murder. Some people suggest that Sévèke suspected T. to be an informant of the intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
agency, and T. had "sworn revenge" in his diary for being removed from the squatting scene because of that suspicion. Sévèke's family denies that T. was removed from the scene but instead went away himself as a result of a discussion on taking money from houseowners for leaving.
On March 7, 2008, T. was convicted for the assassination of Sévèke, and was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
.