Bakker Schut Foundation's Adele van der Plas Urges 113^th Session of Congress to Further Investigate Concerns of Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ,) Who Have Questioned Whether Victims Have Been "Threatened and Intimidated into Dropping their Allegations against Joris Demmink"

AMSTERDAM, Jan. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the 113^th United States Congress convenes on January 3, Adele van der Plas, Managing Director of the Bakker Schut Foundation and attorney for Turkish victims of former Dutch Justice Ministry Secretary-General Joris Demmink's alleged pedophilia crimes, issued the following statement:

"Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ) have courageously expressed 'serious concern' to Turkey's Ambassador to the U.S. Namik Tan about the investigation into alleged pedophilia crimes committed by former Dutch Justice Ministry Secretary-General Joris Demmink.  The 113^th Session of the United States Congress must continue to raise the concerns of these members of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus and investigate whether the Dutch and Turkish governments have covered up Demmink's alleged crimes.  As Congressmen Poe, Costa, and Smith have stated, there are questions for the Turkish government to answer regarding victims being threatened and intimidated into dropping their claims against the former Dutch Justice Ministry Secretary-General.  It is reprehensible that former Turkish police authorities including Emin Arslan, the former Deputy Chief of the Turkish national Police Force, have offered my clients – victims of sexual abuse – money to recant their allegations.  Even more troubling are the threats against the victims' family members.  While Dutch and Turkish authorities continue to ignore the victims of sexual abuse, members of the United States Congress have indicated that they will be the voice for the victims and push the governments of the Netherlands and Turkey for answers."

In a December 21, 2012 letter to Turkish Ambassador to the US Namik Tan, Congressmen Ted Poe, Jim Costa, and Chris Smith write:  "We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding reports that two victims of child sex tourism in your country are being threatened and intimidated into dropping their allegations against Joris Demmink, former Secretary General of the Dutch Ministry of Justice in the Netherlands. According to reports, the victims have been offered money and have had their lives and families threatened. The lawyer for the victims indicates that the threats and intimidation have been relayed to the prosecutor in Diyarbakir, but the victims have not yet received protection or any form of relief.

As members of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, we are very concerned that these vulnerable individuals are being openly harassed and denied access to justice by Turkey's failure to respond both to the charges as well as to the victims' need for protection…We respectfully urge Turkey to ensure that the threats against the victims are investigated and that the victims' rights to pursue justice in Turkey's courts are fully protected."

The full letter is available here: http://arrestdemmink.com/downloads/Turkish_Victim_Letter_to_Ambassador_12_12.pdf

Joris Demmink, the former Secretary General of the Dutch Ministry of Justice, has consistently been linked to the sexual assault of young boys, both in the Netherlands and abroad. In the fall of 1998, an investigation conducted into an Amsterdam brothel linked senior politicians and justice officials to the sexual abuse of young boys. Demmink was specifically identified by one of the young boys as an individual involved in the abuses. According to a former senior official at the Ministry of Justice, this investigation was foiled through the direct intervention of and obstruction by Demmink.

In the mid 1990's, Demmink sexually assaulted numerous boys between the ages of twelve and sixteen in Turkey. The victims of his attacks have come forward and demanded prosecution. Mustafa was twelve at the time he was recruited by police officer Mehemet Korkmaz and brought to Demmink's chambers, where he was repeatedly sexually assaulted. Osman was fourteen at the time he was brought to Demmink and sexually assaulted. Mustafa and Osman have both retained counsel and filed reports against Demmink. Officer Korkmaz, the individual responsible for bringing the boys to Demmink has verified Mustafa's and Osman's accounts. Mustafa, Osman, and Officer Korkmaz are willing to offer sworn testimony to all of the egregious acts they endured and witnessed. A third child victim of Demmink's sexual assaults, Yacine, is now willing to testify in detail about Demmink's sexual assaults.

SOURCE Bakker Schut Foundation