Knoops’ lawyers – Knoops' Advocaten

door Knoops Redactie11 February 2026 Knoops' lawyers0 comments

PRESS RELEASE REGARDING PFAS

Today, the District Court of The Hague delivered its judgment in the PFAS case against the State of the Netherlands.

In these proceedings, the claimants sought an order requiring the government to cease issuing permits and to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the removal of PFAS from the soil. We are of the opinion that the government has done insufficiently to prevent the spread of PFAS. PFAS cause serious illness in humans. Given the significant risks associated with PFAS exposure, we believe there is no political room for complacency.

The Court followed the environmental federations in finding that it has already been established that the State will fail to comply with its statutory obligation to meet the PFOS standard by 22 December 2027, and that failure to meet this standard in time constitutes an unlawful act. However, the Court also considered that the State may be granted a postponement of this obligation. This means that the State will be acting unlawfully once it becomes clear that such postponement will not be granted.

For the remainder, the Court held that it is not for the judiciary to prescribe political choices and dismissed the claims. In light of the foregoing, the environmental federations consider this incomprehensible and are considering lodging an appeal.

Amsterdam, 11 February 2026

mr. G. Knoops
mr. C. Knoops-Hamburger
mr. J. de Koning
mr. A. Nijboer

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door Knoops Redactie4 June 2020 Knoops' lawyers0 comments

Black Lives Matter – Innocence Network Statement

On behalf of our colleagues of all Innocence Networks in America, we share the Network Statement published today in America:

Network Statement:

On May 25th, George Floyd, a 46-year old Black man, was killed by police after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd’s life and future is one of many taken unjustly by police brutality. Between 2013 and 2019, police violence in the United States led to the deaths of 7,666 people, most of them Black Americans. The number of police killings in the country disproportionately affects Black people, who are three times as likely as white Americans to be killed by the police. In 8 of the 100 largest cities in the United States, police departments kill Black men at higher rates than the U.S. murder rate itself. It makes no difference the crime rate of the city—levels of violent crime in U.S. cities do not determine rates of police violence. And rarely is there ever any accountability; in 99% of the cases where an officer killed a civilian between 2013 – 2019, the officer was not charged with a crime.

Police brutality is not new, and the protests against police brutality represent the pain and hurt not just for the death of George Floyd but for the deaths of all Black people killed by police before him. The root of the George Floyd unjust killing—the systemic and racist view that Black people must prove they are not dangerous, that they are not entitled to a presumption of innocence—has resulted in the death of Black people in the United States for centuries through police brutality and wrongful convictions.

The work of the Innocence Network— made up of 67 independent innocence organizations—often lays bare the reach and effects of systemic racism and white supremacy within the criminal justice system and our society at large. The Innocence Network joins the Black Lives Matter movement in condemning the senseless murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and all Black individuals killed by police brutality. The organizations of the Innocence Network offer our sincerest condolences to their families and to the many unnamed families who continue to face the heartbreaking loss of loved ones at the hands of white supremacy.

As a coalition of organizations dedicated to freeing people incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, we affirm our commitment to combat white supremacy and anti-blackness in all forms and in all places. This includes in our own organizations, institutions, practices, and offices. The Innocence Network values racial equity and understands that we must first grapple with our own complicity before we can even begin to tackle racial justice at large. Finally, we acknowledge the unbelievable pain and burden this causes our clients and colleagues of color in the Network. To our clients, coworkers, colleagues, and friends: we stand with you.

May we utilize the breaths we take for granted to fight for those who have lost theirs. As James Baldwin taught us, “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

The Innocence Network

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door Knoops Redactie23 March 2020 Knoops' lawyers0 comments

MEASURES BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS

Knoops’ advocaten takes the presence and spread of the coronavirus very seriously. We realize that it is important for our clients that we continue to work and therefore our office will be open during weekly hours. In order to do this responsibly, we will not receive our clients in the office for the coming two weeks, but will be available at all times, by phone and by mail. Our efforts will continue unabated.

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door joel@dathuis.nl9 January 2020 Innocence Project, Knoops' lawyers0 comments

European Innocence Network Conference in Amsterdam

On Friday, November 8, 2019, the fourth European Innocence Network Conference will take place in the Symphony Auditorium in Amsterdam. The conference is organized by the European Innocence Network, in collaboration with the Knoops ’Innocence Project, the Cross Cultural Human Rights Center (VU Amsterdam) and the University of Amsterdam.

The inaugural address will be given by His Excellency Minister of Justice and Security, Ferd Grapperhaus.

During the day, various (inter) national speakers, including Prof. T. Zwart (NL), Prof. M. Godsey (Ohio, USA), Prof. G.G.J.A. Knoops (NL), prof. M.E. Glasius (NL), P.J. Neufeld, LLM (USA) and Dr. C. Qiao (CN), give their views on the phenomenon of judicial errors. Special speakers are Ina Post (NL), Peter Pringle (IE) and Sunny Jacobs (USA); all three victims of a judicial error and still working on the consequences thereof on a daily basis.

The day will conclude with a debate and the presentation of a UN resolution on the human rights aspects of judicial errors, which will be submitted to the United Nations on behalf of all Innocence Projects and networks in the world.

For more information: www.euinnocencenetwork.com

The full program can be found here.

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