Oranjestad, Aruba – The mother of a U.S. teen who disappeared in Aruba made a tearful plea Tuesday for countries to deny asylum to two brothers she accused of a violent crime against her daughter after a court released them from jail.
An Aruban court Monday released the two Surinamese brothers, who had been held since June 9 along with the 17-year-old son of a high-ranking justice official in Aruba. The three were the last people seen with 18-year-old Natalee Holloway on May 30, when she disappeared near the end of a vacation with classmates to celebrate their high school graduation.
“Two suspects were released (Monday) who were involved in a violent crime against my daughter,” Beth Holloway Twitty told a news conference, her voice cracking with emotion. “The criminals will not only be allowed to walk freely among the tourists and citizens of Aruba, but there are no limits as to where they may go. I am asking all nations not to offer them a safe haven.”
Holloway Twitty made an urgent plea to the Aruban government not to let the brothers leave the island and to inform the State Department if they try. She did not say why she thought they would do so.
The brothers are from the South American country of Suriname.
“I haven’t seen my beautiful daughter in 36 days,” said Holloway Twitty, crying. “I will continue to search for her until I find her.”
A judge Monday ordered the release of brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18, saying there was not sufficient evidence to continue holding them.
David Kock, one of Satish Kalpoe’s attorneys, declined to comment on Holloway Twitty’s remarks, saying the brothers’ defense team was preparing a statement. The brothers, though their attorneys, have insisted on their innocence throughout the case.
Under Dutch law that governs Aruba, a protectorate of the Netherlands, detainees may be held 116 days before being charged by a judge. The standard of evidence required for further detention increases with each court hearing.
On Tuesday evening, about 200 Arubans, many of them angered by Holloway Twitty’s remarks, protested outside the courthouse in the capital of Oranjestad, in the first outpouring of frustration about negative news coming from the quiet Dutch territory.
Demonstrators wrapped themselves in Aruban flags and sang the national anthem. Some carried signs reading “Respect our Dutch laws or go home” and “Innocent until proven guilty.”
Joran van der Sloot, the 17-year-old son of a top justice official in Aruba, is still in custody, although he has never been formally charged.
