The Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal decided on Friday that Rietbergen is definitely not being prosecuted. “And that hurts. Not because I lost my truth, not because the OM did not believe, because they did,” says Wijnhoven. “And I carry that with me. I know how important it is that people feel and heard themselves. Certainly when they stand up against injustice.”
Can Jeroen Rietbergen quickly get back to work after judgment? ‘Dirty Jeroentje will stick to him for years’
The 27-year-old Wijnhoven says that her life has changed forever since her participation in The Voice. “Not only because of what happened, but especially because of everything that followed afterwards. It touched me, formed and sometimes broken. Yet I remained standing. For myself, and for my daughter,” she writes. “I shared my story because I believed, and still believe that it is important to speak. Not to pay attention, not out of anger, but out of justice. Because some things should not remain silent. Because I hoped that speaking could move something.”
Nienke Wijnhoven: ‘Fight has been fought’
“I don’t have to convince anyone anymore. That battle has been fought,” Wijnhoven continues. “What remains is the space that I now have to make myself. For processing. For a rest. For a future in which this can get a place. I will continue to use my voice. Not from struggle, but from trust. Because I believe we can build a world together in which young people, women, men, everyone, can grow safely. Where you can speak without being afraid. Where your voice is not the start of silence, but change.”
Nienke Wijnhoven started Article 12 procedure
Wijnhoven reported Rietbergen in February 2022. The singer participated in the eighth season of The Voice of Hollandwhere Rietbergen was working. She accused the band leader of rape. In May last year, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) decided to dismiss that case, on which the singer started an article 12 procedure in the hope that Rietbergen would still be prosecuted.