A judge has ruled that six accused in the 22 March terror attacks trial no longer have to undergo daily strip searches, unless carefully motivated. The defendants had claimed they were being confronted with humiliating treatment when being transferred from prison to the court room and took the case to a separate court. They won the case on this account, but the judge did not follow them on other accounts in the summary judgement.
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Defendants in Brussels terror trial should no longer undergo daily strip searches
Michaël Torfs
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The trial concerns the terror attacks at Brussels Airport and the Maalbeek metro station in the capital on 22 March 2016. It has been a bumpy road so far. First, the accused refused to sit in the closed glass boxes claiming this felt like a cage. A new glass box built. The trial had to be postponed, but could start after all.
However, since the start of the court case, the focus was not on the many victims but on the "humiliating and exaggarated safety measures" the accused said they were being confronted with.
Especially the strip searches sparked frustration, in which they had to strip completely and next bend through their knees, to allow security staff to check whether they were not hiding any weapons or dangerous tools. They also complained about being blindfolded during their transfer to the court room, and about the fact they had listen to loud music during the ride.
Since the start of the terror trial, the focus has not been on the many victims but on the suspects who complained about "humiliating and unnecessary safety measures"
Salah Abdeslam's lawyer claimed the strip searches were unnecessary given the fact that the safety measures in the prison cells are very strict, and given the presence of dozens of police officers in the court room. The Belgian state however claimed that the measures were justified "because of the potential danger during each transport."
Suspects win the case, but only on one account
The judge has ruled that strip searches remain possible, but under strict conditions. As they are taking place now, on a daily basis and without a proper motivation, they are a violation of human rights. In other words: the daily strip searches have to stop, unless they are thoroughly motivated.
The court did not follow the accused about the blindfold and the loud music (the latter has been stopped in the meantime; they had been installed to prevent the accused from following internal police conversations during the transport).
Appeals can be launched against the latest ruling. The terror trial is presently suspended because of the Christmas break, but should resume next Monday.