Sjoerd Sjoerdsma

Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma (born 10 July 1981) is a Dutch politician of the D66 party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives between 20 September 2012 and 5 December 2023. He was first elected in the 2012 Dutch general election.

Early career
Prior to being elected he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his period as a diplomat he was posted to the Dutch Embassies in Belgium and Afghanistan and to the Permanent Representation to the Palestinian Authority.

Member of Parliament
In parliament, Sjoerdsma serves as his party’s foreign affairs. In addition to his committee assignments, he is a member of the Dutch delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In February 2024, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he was awarded the Order of Merit by the latter country for his unwavering support. He had called on the Dutch government to assist Ukraine by providing F-16 fighter jets, which it eventually did.

Political positions
In 2019, Sjoerdsma publicly criticized Queen Máxima of the Netherlands over a meeting she held with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the 2019 G20 Osaka summit without raising the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Sjoerdsma is an outspoken critic of China's human rights abuses in Xinjiang. In March 2021, the Chinese government banned Sjoerdsma from entering mainland China and conducting business with Chinese firms in retaliation for European Union-imposed sanctions against four Chinese officials for their roles in perpetrating persecution of Uyghurs in China.