Controversial Dutch cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot will not be prosecuted for publishing discriminatory depictions of Muslims online. The Public Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday it had dropped the case because the contentious drawings were no longer shown on Mr Nekschot's website.
In addition, the Prosecutor's Office says that Mr Nekschot has already spent a day and a half in jail, and that no new complaints have been lodged against him since 2005, in what the prosecutor called a dated case.
Reacting to the dismissal of the case, the artist's lawyer told reporters that Mr Nekschot was satisfied that he does not have to reveal his real name, "Gregorius Nekschot" being a pseudonym. There is some disappointment, the lawyer added, that "what is and what is not allowed in cartoons remains ill-defined" because there will be no judgement in the case.
The cartoonist was arrested in 2008 because of seven drawings and two texts of his which were alleged to be insulting to Muslims. His arrest and subsequent detention caused a public outcry; MPs said the arrest was a violation of the fundamental freedom of expression.
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
