Capital punishment ("Doodstraf" in Dutch) in the Netherlands was first abolished in 1870, though only in criminal law, by the Dutch justice minister Van Lilaar. Following the abolisment of the death penalty, life imprisonment was made an official punishment in 1878. In military law however, capital punishment remained a legal option until 1983, when it was forbidden, and in 1991 any reference to the death penalty was removed from Dutch law. 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. ... A justice minister is a ministerial position in the governments of some countries, with general responsibility for policing and the maintenance of public order. ... Life imprisonment is a term used for a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Military law is a distinct legal system to which members of armed forces are subject. ...

In the aftermath of the Second World War the Dutch government in exile decided to reintroduce capital punishment because it feared the Dutch people "would take matters into their own hands" after 5 years of cruel German occupation^[1][2]. In 1945 the massive process of prosecuting traitors and collaborators began, several thousands of people were arrested; 152 people were sentenced to death of whom 40 were actually executed. In Dutch law, the Dutch Queen can give clemency to people convicted to death effectively changing their sentence from death to life imprisonment. Queen Juliana especially did this regularly, thereby limiting the number of people whose sentences were actually carried out^[3]. In most cases the death sentence was changed to life imprisonment after the defendant appealed. The last executions in the Netherlands took place on March 21, 1952 on the Waalsdorpervlakte, near the Hague, where a large number of Dutch resistance members had been executed by the Germans during the war. Wilhelm Albrecht (an SD officer responsible for the death of dozens of Dutchmen and women^[4]) and Andreas Pieters (A notorious Dutch collaborator, imfamously known as "steinbach"^[5]) were the last people to be executed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a countrys legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. ... Queen Juliana Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, (April 30, 1909 - March 20, 2004) of the House of Orange-Nassau was Queen of the Netherlands from her mothers abdication in 1948 to her own abdication in 1980 and Queen Mother (with the title of Princess) from... A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ... This article is about the legal term. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Arms of The Hague Flag of The city of The Hague. ... Sicherheitsdienst (SD) sleeve insignia. ...

Today the Netherlands operate a clear policy against capital punishment. Such as not participating in extradition if the suspect has even the slightest chance of receiving the death penalty. Extradition is a formal process by which a criminal suspect held by one government is handed over to another government for trial or, if the suspect has already been tried and found guilty, to serve his or her sentence. ...

General note:

All sources are in Dutch.

Sources:

• Nationaal Archief, the largest public archive in the Netherlands.
• Archief Ministerie van Justitie, the archive of the Dutch ministry of Justice.

References: A national archive is a central archive maintained by a nation. ... For other uses of the word Archive, see Archive (disambiguation) Archives refers to a collection of records, and also refers to the location in which these records are kept. ...

1. ^ "Bravo" voor de doodstraf
2. ^ Bijzondere Rechtspraak na de Tweede Wereldoorlog
3. ^ Gratie en de koningin: Een deal op leven en dood
4. ^ Wilhelm Artur Albrecht
5. ^ Andries Pieters, alias Steinbach