European Court questions legality of Ridouan Taghi's solitary confinement

An interim decision by the European Court of Human Rights requests that the Netherlands explain if the solitary confinement of convicted drug trafficker Ridouan Taghi in the Extra Secure Institution (EBI) contravenes Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court also wants to know whether Taghi receives sufficient opportunities to communicate with fellow prisoners and his relatives, referencing its own prior rulings on the matter.

Taghi’s counsel, Sjoerd van Berge Henegouwen, argued that the Court’s 21-point set of questions signals strong uncertainty about the government's legal basis for the detention regime. He described the process as a final chance for the parties to settle the dispute amicably before a binding judgment is issued. A breach finding could lead to a fine and would require the Dutch authorities to adjust future decisions on Taghi’s EBI placement and family contact rules. The inquiry does not affect Taghi’s ongoing criminal appeal, which remains pending after his life-sentence for ordering multiple murders.