ALMERE – A court in the Netherlands has sentenced a man from Almere to 40 hours of community service for making an online threat involving Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas. The ruling followed a Facebook comment in which the man referred to killing the prime minister in the context of political tensions on the island.
The case stems from a reaction the man posted in October 2025 under a social media message about political unrest in Curaçao, specifically surrounding the possible resignation of then Minister of Finance Javier Silvania. In his comment, written in Papiamentu, the man stated that if anything were to happen, Curaçao should rise up and kill Prime Minister Pisas.
During the hearing, the defendant appeared visibly emotional and argued that his words were misunderstood. He told the court that the phrasing reflected informal language used among friends and that Papiamentu expressions cannot always be translated literally into Dutch without altering their meaning. He maintained that he never intended to threaten or incite violence against the prime minister.
The judge rejected that argument, emphasizing that Facebook is a public platform and not a private conversation. According to the court, the man should have realized that such a statement could be interpreted as a serious threat by a broad audience. The judge also dismissed the claim that the defendant was unaware his comment was publicly visible.
The public prosecutor stressed that a threat does not need to be addressed directly to the intended target to be punishable. Given the tense political climate in Curaçao at the time, the statement carried added weight and risk, she argued, and the defendant should have foreseen the possible consequences of his words.
The man told the court that the proceedings had a significant personal impact. His name and photograph were published in major Curaçao newspapers, which he said caused him distress. His lawyer asked for acquittal, arguing that there was no intent, and alternatively requested a fine instead of a community service sentence.
In delivering the verdict, the judge acknowledged that the defendant had already experienced consequences through media exposure and accepted that he did not personally plan to carry out violence. However, the court found the wording unmistakably threatening when viewed in its broader social and political context, noting the growing problem of online threats in society.
The judge imposed a community service sentence of 40 hours, lower than the penalty sought by the prosecution, and ruled that an earlier suspended sentence would not be enforced, as it related to a different type of offense. She concluded by warning the defendant to exercise greater caution on social media in the future.
