It's almost two years since famous Dutch journalist Peter R. De Vries was shot dead on an Amsterdam street in an assassination believed to have been ordered by Marengo suspect Ridouan Taghi.

For decades, the 65-year-old TV star had been a voice for victims and a tireless campaigner against criminals and their crimes. But when his killers came for him on a sunny July evening on one of the busiest streets in Amsterdam, they didn't care about what he had achieved - they were simply carrying out their bloody orders.

But how could such an instance of narco-terrorism take place in a modern European city, and why did Peter De Vries feel safe there despite the numerous threats to his life.

Nicola Tallant, in her third despatch from the Marengo trial, meets with journalist Jan Meeus, chief reporter at NRC, and visits the scene of the De Vries death. Jan recalls his shock he felt at the news of his mentor's murder, and he remembers the fear it instilled in a media already under threat.

Crime World, with Nicola Tallant, is a weekly Iri…