Prison sentences of up to 20 years demanded for the attempted liquidation of Iranian activist in Haarlem

The Public Prosecution Service has demanded prison sentences of up to 20 years in a case involving a failed assassination of Iranian activist Siamak Tahmasbi in the Netherlands. Six suspects, including five men and one woman, are believed to be part of an international murder command. Their plan to kill Tahmasbi on June 5-6, 2024, failed when he alerted the police after seeing two men on his balcony. Two suspects were arrested with a loaded firearm and a hammer. The main suspect, Sami Bekal Bounouare, is still at large and is considered the mastermind behind the plot. The prosecution argues that the case highlights the right to freedom of expression, as Tahmasbi is a journalist opposing the Iranian regime, which may have ordered the assassination attempt.