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Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

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NETHERLANDSNational OmbudsmanThe Dutch National Ombudsman oversees law enforcement <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g ord<strong>in</strong>arypolic<strong>in</strong>g functions, anti-terrorism, immigration and customs. The organization canlook <strong>in</strong>to <strong>in</strong>dividual compla<strong>in</strong>ts, and study broader issues it identifies. It publishessome 400 case reports a year, about 150 of which address polic<strong>in</strong>g and adm<strong>in</strong>istrationof justice. The Ombudsman does not collect ethnic statistics, but has <strong>in</strong>vestigatedcompla<strong>in</strong>ts of discrim<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> law enforcement, several specifically concern<strong>in</strong>gethnic profil<strong>in</strong>g.One of <strong>the</strong>se cases <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>the</strong> “100 percent controls” carried out by customs officialsat Schiphol airport on passengers arriv<strong>in</strong>g from Sur<strong>in</strong>am, Aruba and <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlandsAntilles. 124 The <strong>in</strong>vestigation, triggered by an <strong>in</strong>dividual compla<strong>in</strong>t lodged bya traveler, exam<strong>in</strong>ed all policies and practices <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> controls. It consideredpossible discrim<strong>in</strong>ation, and evaluated a list of secret criteria used by customs officialsto determ<strong>in</strong>e which persons should be subjected to a more <strong>in</strong>-depth search. TheOmbudsman considered whe<strong>the</strong>r apparently neutral criteria were <strong>in</strong> fact produc<strong>in</strong>gdiscrim<strong>in</strong>atory outcomes (<strong>in</strong>direct discrim<strong>in</strong>ation). In this case, <strong>the</strong>re was no f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gof racial discrim<strong>in</strong>ation, but a number of aspects of <strong>the</strong> procedure were flagged asproblematic.The case of Ms. S of New York v. KMar (discussed above <strong>in</strong> Chapter III) establisheda critical pr<strong>in</strong>ciple: that where <strong>the</strong> compla<strong>in</strong>ant had provided facts support<strong>in</strong>g apresumption of discrim<strong>in</strong>ation, <strong>the</strong> Ombudsman shifted <strong>the</strong> burden on <strong>the</strong> defendant—<strong>the</strong>military border police <strong>in</strong> this case—to prove that this was not <strong>the</strong> case. 125Ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>vestigation by <strong>the</strong> Ombudsman exam<strong>in</strong>ed a police raid <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g some80 officers on a party organized by African immigrants <strong>in</strong> Amsterdam <strong>in</strong> 2007. 126Although <strong>the</strong> police claimed <strong>the</strong>y expected to f<strong>in</strong>d members of crim<strong>in</strong>al networks<strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet fraud, <strong>the</strong>y relied on powers granted to <strong>the</strong>m by <strong>the</strong> Aliens Actto carry out <strong>the</strong> raid. Sixty seven of <strong>the</strong> approximately 220 people at <strong>the</strong> party weredeta<strong>in</strong>ed for immigration violations, and 35 were subsequently deported. Therewere no result<strong>in</strong>g prosecutions l<strong>in</strong>ked to <strong>in</strong>ternet fraud or associated crime. TheOmbudsman found that <strong>the</strong>re had been a violation of <strong>the</strong> right to non-discrim<strong>in</strong>ationenshr<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dutch constitution because black attendants at <strong>the</strong> partyhad been especially targeted for identity checks, while whites were allowed to leave.The Ombudsman also criticized <strong>the</strong> police publicity around <strong>the</strong> raid as hav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>effect of stigmatiz<strong>in</strong>g West Africans, and <strong>in</strong> particular Nigerians, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlandsby explicitly and unjustifiably assum<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong>y were predom<strong>in</strong>antly illegal immigrantsand <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> crime. The Ombudsman also criticized <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>appropriateuse of immigration powers to carry out a raid primarily aimed at combat<strong>in</strong>g crime.66 OVERSIGHT BODIES AND COMPLAINTS MECHANISMS

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