Okke Ornstein (born 1965), is a Dutch

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

who is known for his fraud and corruption investigations.Journalist in gevangenschap
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Querido Emanuel Querido (6 August 1871 – 23 July 1943) was a successful Dutch publisher as the founder and owner of N.V. Em. Querido Uitgeversmaatschappij, which published Dutch titles, and of , which published titles of German writers in exile from N ...

)'s website Ornstein was imprisoned in Panama in 2016, and was released after serving more than one month in prison. Ornstein's fraud and corruption investigation has won several awards, including the

Prix Europa {{notability, Events, date=March 2021 PRIX EUROPA – The European Broadcasting Festival – is the Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. The event takes place in the third week of October in Berlin, Germany. PRIX E ...

. Ornstein has produced major stories through NTR and

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. Ornstein previously published through his own site ''Bananama Republic'' but now publishes for ''Correspondent at Large.''.

Personal life

Ornstein was born in the

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical villages o ...

, North Holland in 1965. He began his career in advertising. He also worked as a television producer and photographer. He first went to Panama to report in 2000. Prior to his 2016 arrest, he had been a resident in Panama for several years. He has a teenage daughter who lives in Panama and is in a relationship with Kimberlyn David.

Arrest

In 2012, Ornstein faced backlash after publishing a number of pieces on fraud and corruption through his website ''Bananama Republic,'' where he wrote about criminal activity. In one case, Ornstein wrote about the alleged fraudulent business practices of Monte Friesner, a citizen in Panama. Friesner allegedly had a criminal history dating back to 1966, and has been convicted on counts of money laundering, wire transfers, and other crimes. Friesner filed a complaint regarding Ornstein's posts, and Ornstein was prosecuted by Panamanian officials. Ornstein was convicted of criminal defamation and sentenced to a 20-month sentence in 2012. This sentence was never implemented and Ornstein lived freely in Panama following the conviction. Ornstein travelled between the Netherlands and Panama several times between 2012 and 2016. When Ornstein arrived at Panama International Airport on 16 November 2016, he was arrested on account of his 2012 conviction. Several organizations worked to secure Ornstein freedom, including the Dutch Association and the International Federation of Journalists, who claimed the charges against him were unfounded. After a presidential decree by President

Juan Carlos Varela Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez (; born 13 December 1963) is a Panamanian businessman and former politician who served as the President of Panama from 2014 to 2019. Varela was Vice President of Panama from 2009 to 2014, and Minister of Foreign ...

, Ornstein was released from jail along with over 300 other prisoners on 23 December 2016 and his sentence was commuted. Ornstein has since started a new website, called ''Correspondent at Large''.

Responses

Ornstein's arrest lead to a number of responses internationally.

International Press Institute International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia Universit ...

Executive Director Barbara Trionfi stated the imprisonment was "appalling" because it took place before an anti-corruption gathering of experts in Panama. The External managing director of

Transparency International Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...

, Cobus de Swardt, said "Journalists play an important role in showing that the corrupt cannot get away with their crimes. It’s no time to be incarcerating the messengers." Thomas Bruning from the Dutch Journalist Association supported Ornstein arguing that "A 20 month prison sentence over a series of blog posts is against the fundamental principles of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, principles that are acknowledged as fundamental rights world wide."

Awards

Ornstein has won a number of awards for his work in journalism. The first was the Prix Europa in 2013 for a radio investigation piece regarding the environmental impact of a hydroelectric dam in Panama. Ornstein was nominated for the Tegel Award in 2015 for a radio documentary about refugees. Ornstein has also won the Prix Iris for his documentary series "Urbania."

References

External links