ANP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
On the first day of the trial of the suspects in the Brussels terrorist attacks, suspect Mohamed Abrini complained about the conditions of transport to the courtroom. Abrini said he will no longer answer questions from the president or the jury unless that changes. “I was brought here with loud satanic music and a blindfold. We are not respected,” the Belgian media quoted him.
The terrorist suspect said he feels humiliated with each transport, because he has to undress and put on an eye patch every time. “I won’t say anything until the end of the trial if it continues like this,” he said. In an earlier trial in France, he was allegedly treated “respectfully”.
In Belgium, the trial of ten men accused of the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March 2016 began today. 32 people died and hundreds were injured in two explosions at Brussels airport (Zaventem airport) and one in the metro at Maalbeek station in the city center.
The men are on trial for committing 32 murders and 687 attempted murders with a terrorist motive. They are also accused of belonging to a terrorist organization. Suspects face life in prison.
Today’s session focused on identifying the parties and explaining how the process was going.
It is not a dignified trial if the detention is not dignified.
Jonathan De Taye, lawyer for suspect Ali El Haddad Asufi, and Vincent Lurquin, lawyer for Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa, also complained about the circumstances of the transport. According to De Taye, the accused would be searched naked every day “to inspect the anus”. “Do they think they can find a gun here? Should it be done under the rule of law? It’s not a decent trial if the detention isn’t decent.” According to Lurquin, suspect Muhirwa had been wearing the same clothes for eight days.
De Taye said that for these reasons he “most likely” will file an injunction tomorrow and ask for a stay of the trial in the meantime. If there is no suspension, the summary of the investigation will be read tomorrow.
The following retrospective of the 2016 attacks contains shocking images:
The IS attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016
