King William of the Netherlands, 'before' the courts

• Controversy The 'annus horribilis' of the King of Holland

• Monarchy The long list of political scandals of the Dutch monarchy

Does anyone imagine

?

The immunity prerogatives enjoyed by heads of state make it practically impossible in all cases.

And yet, the sovereign of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, is the protagonist of a surprising process in the courts in which

.

Whether or not the lawsuit against the king has gone through, which does not seem to be going to have much, the matter has reopened the debate on

, with very interesting echoes for a country like Spain.

The fact is that a session was held on Wednesday in a district court in The Hague that processed the lawsuit filed almost two years ago by the Republiek group, which

.

The organization accuses the king of having a role and influence over the judicial system in his illegal opinion that, they argue, violates principles of the European Convention on Human Rights, ratified by the Netherlands in 1954. Floris Müller, spokesman for Republiek, explained that

, given that the Dutch Constitution -last amended in 2008-, in its article 42.2, declares it

.

And the lawyer stressed that the aforementioned Convention emphasizes that, for fair trials to be held, both judicial independence and the appearance of independence are unavoidable.

Republiek recalls that justice is delivered in the name of the king.

Or that judges, prosecutors and even lawyers must make a profession of loyalty to the monarch upon taking office.

Nothing different from what happens in any of the 11 European parliamentary Monarchies.

But the anti-monarchist group even jokes that

.

"The procedures are not the same if there is a portrait of your opponent hanging behind the judge, even if he is someone independent," Ewout Jansen, Republiek's lawyer, argued in the picturesque session, according to Dutch media reports.

The latter refers to different judicial processes that in recent years have had the Dutch royal family as the protagonist.

For example, the lawsuit filed by the Government in favor of the Crown in 2013 against a magazine,

, for the publication of some photos of the heiress, Amalia, then a minor, playing hockey.

The Justice condemned the publication for violating the right to privacy of the princess and the regulations for the protection of children.

Or the lawsuit, also won in 2020, against a citizen who, among other nice things, called Queen Máxima a "bitch", "daughter of a murderer" - her father was Videla's minister - or "disgusting sow".

What Republiek is saying is that the royal family has an advantage in the courts and that they take advantage of prerogatives that question even the aforementioned appearance of judicial independence.

And they demand a reduction of the sovereign's powers and the removal of all provisions for his participation in the legal system.

Crowdfunding for the process

Republiek started a

campaign to raise 35,000 euros for the costs of the process.

And, finally, its promoters have been able to present their troubles before a court, even if they did not see the king face to face.

Guillermo Alejandro was kindly summoned to appear at the session in case he wanted to counter the accusations.

But no one expected him to stand up in court, which he was not required to do.

However, he did

.

Attorney General Reimer Veldhuis and even a personal lawyer for the monarch, Arnold Croiset van Uchelen, appeared to refute Republiek's arguments.

The first gave

, explaining what inviolability means -

, something that would not happen in Spain- or dismantling that the king has effective powers in the judicial system.

And, above all, he argued that the demands of the Republican caucus could only be met with constitutional amendments.

The court in question will release some resolution on March 8, probably that it is not a matter that should be judged.

Although the picturesque process confirms that

- always in the civil sphere, never in the criminal one.

Republiek might settle if he can at least get a few regal portraits removed from the courthouses.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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