Nine men accused of murdering a well-known Dutch journalist will go on trial in January, a court in the Netherlands announced today, specifying that the verdict in this trial, which was suspended last July, is expected in the summer of 2024.

Peter R. De Vries was shot on a street in the center of Amsterdam on July 6, 2021, shortly after leaving a TV studio where he had been a guest.

He breathed his last nine days after the attack, which, according to prosecutors, was linked to his role in the trial of a Dutch drug lord.

Two suspects, Dutchman Delano G. and the Pole Kamil E., were arrested shortly after the attack, which shocked the Netherlands and highlighted the issue of drug trafficking in the country.

Prosecutors had sought life sentences for the two suspects in June 2022, but sentencing was postponed until next month after more suspects were arrested and new information emerged, which judges said should be added to the case. case file.

Prosecutors charge Delano G. that he pulled the trigger and Camille E. that he was driving the getaway vehicle and that he was watching the victim before the attack. The two men deny the charges against them.

Seven other suspects were subsequently arrested.

The trial will resume on January 23, the Amsterdam District Court announced on its website.

“The verdict is expected around June,” he clarified.

According to prosecutors, the renowned journalist was murdered because of his role as an adviser to key witness Nabil B. in the trial of alleged drug lord Ridwan Taghi, who was arrested in Dubai in 2019.

De Vries became world famous for covering the 1983 kidnapping of Freddy Heineken.