Walid hearing verdict (per 27 January 2026) The judges in the Dutch court in Zwolle found the suspect in the ‘Walid’ case guilty of almost all charges and sentenced him to the maximum of 20 years in prison. The full verdict comprises around 100 pages. The judge presented the main points of the verdict during […]
How the EU’s Initiated Crackdown on Human Smuggling Will Impact Migration Systems for the Better or the Worse.
BRUSSELS. Belgium | 21 January 2026 (IDN) — “We Europeans, decide who comes to Europe and crosses our borders, and under what circumstances, and not the smugglers and traffickers” was the message in European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen’s speech, kicking off the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling conference on 10 December in […]
20 Years Demanded in Extraordinary Trial Against Brutal Alleged Eritrean Human Smuggler ‘Walid’
ZWOLLE, The Netherlands| 10 December 2025 (IDN) — The Dutch public prosecutor has demanded the maximum sentence of 20 years of prison, and over 2 million EUR in damages in the case of alleged Eritrean smuggler Tewelde Goitom “Walid”, accused of earning large sums of money through the kidnapping, torturing, and extorting of refugees in […]
Situation Report Special: “Why am I prosecuted here?” – Walid’s final words as court prepares verdict on 27 January
The summary of the first 6 hearing days can be accessed on the EEPA website. Walid hearing: Summary of Day 7 (per 26 November 2025) Day 7 of the court hearing in the case of alleged human trafficker Tewelde Goitom “Walid” covered the reply of the injured party and the public prosecutor, the rejoinder, and […]
Trial against alleged Eritrean trafficker ‘Walid’ will start in The Netherlands on 3 November
Substantive hearings are about to begin in Zwolle, the Netherlands, in the important case against Eritrean national Tewelde Goitom (also known as “Walid” / “Welid”). The hearings are set to run across the month of November. Walid is accused of leading an international criminal network that detained, tortured, raped and extorted Eritrean refugees in Libya. […]