Boris Dittrich
Boris Ottokar Dittrich (born July 21, 1955 in Utrecht ) is a Dutch politician (Democrats 66 ), lawyer , human rights activist and LGBT activist.
Life
Dittrich was born in Utrecht in 1955. His father came to the Netherlands from Czechoslovakia to receive political asylum in 1948. After leaving school, Dittrich studied law and successfully completed his studies as a lawyer. He then worked as a lawyer and got a job as a judge.
Political career
In addition to his professional activity, Dittrich was politically active and joined the Dutch left-liberal Democrats 66 party . In 1994 he became a member of the Second Chamber of the States General and was re-elected in each subsequent election. In 2003 Dittrich was chairman of the Democrats 66 and replaced Thom de Graaf after the 2003 parliamentary elections. Under his parliamentary group leadership, the party participated in the Dutch government in the Balkenende II cabinet, together with the Christian-Democratic party Christen Democratisch Appèl and the liberal Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie . Dittrich decided not to become a minister in the Balkenende cabinet and remained chairman of the parliamentary group. After three years in government, the Democrats 66 party left the government in 2006 under the leadership of Dittrich. The background to this was a dispute with Minister Rita Verdonk over the citizenship of Ayaan Hirsi Ali . The withdrawal of the Democrats 66 led to the fall of the Balkenende government in 2006. Dittrich remained in parliament until the new elections in November 2006. On February 3, 2006, he gave up his parliamentary group chairmanship as a result of the majority support of the MPs of his party for the Afghanistan mission. Lousewies van der Laan became his successor in the 66 presidency of the Democrats .
Commitment to human rights
In parliament, Dittrich was heavily involved in issues such as same-sex marriage , the legalization of prostitution , the decriminalization of soft drugs and euthanasia . Dittrich was one of the first openly homosexual members of parliament. He is involved in human rights issues and has represented the Netherlands on several occasions at the United Nations level. Until October 2007 he was Vice President of the Liberal International Association . In 2007 he was elected head of advocacy for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transsexual Rights Program of Human Rights Watch in New York. In May 2007 Dittrich took part in the Moscow Gay Pride , which resulted in violent riots. As a result, Human Rights Watch indicted Russia's inadequate civil liberties. The incident led to parliamentary debates in the Dutch Parliament and the European Parliament in 2007.
Books
Dittrich has written five books that have not yet appeared in German:
- Een blauwe stoel in Paars (A blue chair in violet) , stories about his work as a member of the Tweede Kamer , Van Gennep Uitgeverij, Amsterdam, 2001
- Elke Liefde Telt (Every Love Counts) , about his worldwide work for Human Rights Watch, Nieuw Amsterdam, 2009
- Moord en Brand ( Murder and Fire) , a thriller about politics and journalism in The Hague, Nieuw Amsterdam, 2011
- De Waarheid Lie (The Truth Lies) , A novel about a murder in Grand Central Metro Station in New York City, De Arbeiderspers, 2013
- WOLF , A thriller about extremism in Berlin, Uitgeverij Cargo, 2016
Awards
- Queen Beatrix awarded Dittrich the knighthood of the Order of Orange-Nassau for his political work .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dittrich, Boris |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dittrich, Boris Ottokar (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch politician (D66) and lawyer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 21, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Utrecht |