Press Release
July 1st 2004
Amsterdam

Today we received Justice Minister Donner's final decision regarding the extradition to Sweden of 23 year old Amsterdam bicycle mechanic Maarten Blok. On June 29 it was decided that Maarten will be extradited to Sweden. To protest against this decision a public meeting will be held on Friday July 2nd from 20.00 in the Spui in Amsterdam by indignant sympathizers. Sweden has requested Maarten's extradition in connection with events that took place during the EuroSummit in the city of Goteborg in 2001. He is supposed to have hit a police officer. Maarten has always denied this, witnesses and video images confirm his innocence.

The extradition is controversial because of injustices in the Goteborg court. Amnesty International, Swedish lawyers and a Swedish committee, among others, have criticized the court procedures. For more information on Maarten's case: http://www.steunmaarten.org

Short summary of the events.
 In the morning of June 14th 2001 the EuroSummit in the Swedish city of Goteborg began. Maarten had arrived the night before and found a place to stay at a school which had been designated for that purpose by the city. That morning, at the exact moment president Bush arrived, this school was surrounded by the police and everyone present (more than 450 people) were arrested. Maarten was also arrested based on dubious allegations ("You have come here to create problems") and deported to the Netherlands.

About four months later he received a message from a Swedish group supporting those who were prosecuted after the EuroSummit; supposedly he was wanted internationally for grievous disturbance of the public order and for violence against a police officer. Although the case is presented with barely any foundation, police officers' statements contradict each other, and there is sufficient proof of Maarten's innocence (video recordings as well as witnesses).

Maarten is still threatened with extradition to Sweden. The trials that have been held so far in relation to the EuroSummit in Goteborg are controversial. For example in Swedish terms unusually high sentences have been handed out, the evidence in most cases was very meagre and evidence has demonstrably been tampered with. Among others Amnesty International and a committee instituted by the Swedish government have criticised this state of affairs. In order for him to have a fair trial it is of the greatest importance that Maarten is not extradited to Sweden, but is tried in the Netherlands instead. Therefore: No Extraditing Maarten!

For more information: Maarten Support Group: 06 42356735