A Syrian refugee portrayed by populist public broadcaster Powned as sex-mad and anti-gay has won €2,500 in compensation in court.
The man, named only as Ahmed, caused an outcry in the Netherlands and on social media worldwide when he was interviewed by the current affairs show.
The court ruled Powned had been highly selective in its editing of the item. For example, Ahmed was shown to make a throat-cutting gesture when asked for his views on homosexuality. However, he then went on to say that was his personal opinion and he would respect Dutch laws. This was not included in the item.
In addition, Powned did not tell him that the item would be broadcast and the interviewer posed as a student.
Powned is to appeal against the ruling. ‘Every form of media is selective and it is not up to the judge to interfere in that,’ the broadcaster said on its website. ‘This is a question of principle.’
Ahmed is to use the money to pay for a translation of the court ruling to send back to friends and family in Syria.
Powned has also been ordered to request Google and Yahoo remove the footage from their search functions. It has already been taken off Powned’s own website.