Dutch Court Artist Receives Damages After MP Used Her Sketch Without Permission

A Dutch court artist received damages after an MP for the far-right Party for Freedom used one of her drawings without permission and altered it with AI. Petra Urban, who has worked as a court artist for 19 years, discovered that a sketch she made last year of two Syrian brothers had been reworked and posted online. The two brothers were jailed in January 2026 for murdering their sister.

The altered drawing appeared in a video posted on Instagram and Facebook by the PVV’s Noord-Brabant region. The MP who used the image was Maikel Boon. Urban said three aspects of the incident upset her.

She objected to the lack of permission, the political use of her work, and the AI distortion itself. Under Dutch law, creators hold moral rights to object to distortions that could harm their reputation. The case drew widespread press coverage after Urban shared the images in May.

Her union then issued a legal demand for licensing rights and damages. Maikel Boon called Urban to apologise and later paid an undisclosed sum in damages. Boon had previously faced accusations of using AI to manipulate images for campaign purposes.

Urban said she felt “no mercy” in seeking compensation because of that record. Boon told De Telegraaf he had believed an altered image would no longer be subject to copyright. ” The video about a new asylum centre that contained the altered image has since been removed from the internet.

Urban said she hopes the episode shows the need for vigilance. She stated that journalistic work must remain neutral and that manipulation opens the possibility of further distortions. She also said the incident compromised her independence regardless of the party involved.