Dutch Rapper Convicted for Doxing Israeli Soldier and Journalist

A court in Utrecht, Netherlands, has sentenced a 43-year-old rapper and pro-Palestinian activist known as APPA to community service for doxing an Israeli soldier and a Dutch public broadcaster journalist. APPA, whose real name is Rashid al-Ghazzawi, was found guilty of two counts of doxing, which involves collecting and publishing personal details with the intent to intimidate and harass.

The soldier, who holds both Israeli and Dutch citizenship, was serving in the IDF when APPA posted her identifying information, including photos, to his Instagram account with over 83,000 followers on March 14, 2024. He accused her of fighting against women and children, calling her a "psychopath" and claiming her hands were "covered in blood." He urged his followers to find more information about her and act against her, leading to the dissemination of her name, birthdate, and birthplace online. The court rejected APPA's defense that he was gathering information for potential legal proceedings against the soldier.

The soldier's mother, Shirley, described severe harassment, including anonymous visits to her workplace and being photographed and yelled at by women outside her home, who called her the mother of a "child murderer." Flyers with her daughter's accusations and her address were distributed in her neighborhood.

APPA was also convicted for doxing a journalist from the Dutch public broadcaster NOS, who had reported on the harassment of the soldier and her family. On March 29, 2024, APPA published the journalist's full name and photo, labeling her a "sewage journalist" and accusing her of spreading lies and whitewashing genocide. The court found that APPA's intent was to intimidate the journalist, cause her severe harassment, and impede her journalistic work, rejecting his claim that he was merely correcting the record.

APPA was sentenced to 40 hours of community service, with 20 hours suspended for two years, falling short of the prosecution's request for 60 hours. He was acquitted of a separate doxing charge related to the soldier's mother, as his publication of her personal details was not proven. The court noted that APPA had no prior convictions for similar offenses and considered his personal circumstances and the time elapsed since the incidents in March 2024.

NOS News welcomed the verdict, with Deputy Editor-in-Chief Wilma Haan stating that the ruling recognizes not only the personal harm to the two women but also the "chilling effect" of intimidation on journalists' work. A new Dutch law against doxing took effect on January 1, 2024, with maximum penalties of two years imprisonment, which can be increased for victims who are journalists, judges, politicians, or other public figures. The court emphasized that even re-publishing publicly available information can constitute doxing when combined with threatening statements and calls to action.