documentary about a Dutchman who has been imprisoned in the US for 39 years may be broadcast

The documentary series about Jaitsen Singh (78), the Dutchman who has been imprisoned abroad for 39 years, can be broadcast on TV. This has been decided today by the court in Amsterdam in preliminary relief proceedings. Singh had filed a lawsuit against broadcaster BNNVARA to prevent the series from being broadcast.

Singh was convicted in the United States in 1986 of having his wife and stepdaughter murdered. He received a total of 56 years in prison and has been in prison ever since. He has always denied involvement in the murders.

In the TV series An American Nightmare from production company Submarine, it is about possible miscarriages of justice in the case, which would put the long prison sentence in a different light. But there is also talk of alleged sexual abuse by Singh and allegations of drug trafficking, topics that had not come to the fore until recently and for which he has never been charged. Singh is afraid that this will get him into trouble with fellow detainees.

It cannot be ruled out that these accusations will create “a dangerous situation” for Singh, the Amsterdam court ruled. But he sees no reason to prevent the distribution of the documentary. When Singh and Submarine agreed to make a TV series about his life in 2016, Singh had already been accused of sexual abuse and drug trafficking, and the judge said it was likely that this would be addressed in the series.

The court does rule that BNNVARA may not emphasize “the aspects of sexual abuse and possible involvement in drug trafficking” in any promotional films, because such short videos lack the space for the necessary “nuance and context” about those allegations.

Singh’s lawyer Rachel Imamkhan tells NRC that she wants to challenge the ruling. The series is scheduled to air on TV from May 29.

Relatives in the Netherlands have been campaigning for years for Singh to be released or to serve the rest of his sentence in the Netherlands, because his health is poor. Last year, Minister Weerwind (Legal Protection) wrote to the House of Representatives that there was a good chance that he would be pardoned in the US, but that has not yet happened.