Ans Boersma through lawyer: I didn't do anything wrong
Ans Boersma, the correspondent deported from Turkey on Thursday and suspected of forgery in the Netherlands, is "deeply disappointed" that the Financieele Dagblad is severing ties with her.
The journalist let this be known through a statement by her lawyer Maarten Pijnenburg. It is the first time that Boersma reacts. She thinks she has done nothing wrong and is "extremely upset.
'She lost everything overnight. She was not even allowed to take her personal belongings from her house. She also experienced the massive media attention as very intense,' her lawyer Maarten Pijnenburg told news agency ANP.
Boersma was deported Thursday from Turkey, the country where she worked as a correspondent for the FD. It was initially thought that her reporting was unwelcome to Turkish authorities. It was later revealed that Turkey had received information from the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office alleging Boersma's connection to terrorist activities.
Newsweek revealed Thursday that until the summer of 2015 - before the start of her correspondentship - Boersma was had a relationship with a Syrian refugee. Who was recognized as a member of terror movement al-Nusra at de Balie in Amsterdam in 2017.
Boersma herself later expressed suspicion that her deportation was related to her love affair with the man. He was arrested last November and is still in custody. She allegedly committed forgery by helping him get residence papers at an earlier stage. At least: the prosecution suspects her of that.
The FD, her principal client, broke ties with Boersma on Friday. She was allegedly negligent on three occasions, according to editor-in-chief Jan Bonjer, including keeping silent about her previous love affair with the Syrian.
Boersma is unaware of any wrongdoing. 'My client had a short-term relationship several years ago with a friend who was from Syria. During her relationship, she had no reason to suppose that this person had ties to a terrorist organization. The FD-chief editor accuses her of failing to provide this information to the chief editor on three occasions. 'All three times mentioned were after the breakup of the relationship and before the client could have had any suspicion that there might be ties to a terrorist network,' counsel said.
Boersma further feels that the outrage of the FD should focus on the Dutch police, "who by -so it seems for the time being- sharing information about her with the Turkish authorities, are threatening the life and future of the for the FD employed journalist seriously endangered," Pijnenburg said.
Next week police will interrogate Boersma, as she is suspected of forgery. For example, she allegedly helped the ex-boyfriend obtain false papers. Boersma does not identify with this at all, according to her lawyer.
