A video has circulated on social platforms earlier this week of a heavily pregnant woman being pushed forcibly to the ground by a police officer at an asylum center in Zeist, on May 19, 2026. The footage shows a male police officer using brute force against the woman, pulling her hair, and then punching her husband when he tried to intervene.
The woman has been identified as Malak Almahmoud, a then 9-months pregnant asylum seeker from the Palestinian Territories.
Speaking with AlJazeera on Monday (June 1st), Malak reported she has given birth a few days after the incident to a health baby girl. Malak says she was simply asking the police officers if she would be able to go with her husband, an asylum seeker from Gaza, but reports the officer — who did not understand her and thought she was being defiant — pushed her down instead of answering her question.
‘All I want is for there to be a full and independent investigation that reveals the full truth… and that anyone that used violence without any justification is held accountable,’ Malak said.
Dutch Police in Zeist issued a statement saying they are reviewing the use of force and have opened an investigation.
