The judgment on the compensation of the victims of the 22 March 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels and Zaventem came to a close in a five-minute hearing yesterday. “A complete lack of empathy,” said a lawyer who lost his sister in the attacks
The hearing yesterday to deliver the final judgment on the compensation of the victims of the 2016 terrorist attack in Belgium came to an end almost as soon as it had begun. The court chose not to read the 600-page report and opened and closed the hearing in five minutes’ time.
“Extremely frustrated” and “furious” were phrases used by those present at the hearing. “I was rather shocked,” said Philippe Vansteenkiste, a lawyer and director of victims’ rights organisation V-Europe. “There is a complete lack of empathy in the interaction with the victims.”
600-page decision
V-Europe formed in the aftermath of the 22 March 2016 attacks at Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro station, which killed 32 people and seriously injured some 340 more. In 2017, it presented its findings to the Belgian parliamentary committee investigating the attacks. V-Europe’s report shocked the country as it detailed the lack of systematic and efficient information, support and compensation for the victims.
The hearing yesterday was the close of a nearly two-year process to decide on damages for each of the victims. This included more victims than those who died and were seriously injured – some 980 files in all. Each had to be calculated separately and included expenses but also damages for moral and mental anguish. The final judgement is 600 pages long.
“The process itself took nine months, and we’ve had to wait a year for the judgement on this civil part of the case,” said Vansteenkiste, whose own sister died in the attacks. “The judge doesn’t have to read everything, but a bit of sympathy would have made a big difference.”
Many victims told VRT that they were stunned by the short, emotionless hearing. “We are extremely frustrated that it was so short,” a victim named Claire told VRT. “I spent hours to get here because I hoped that this last hearing would provide some closure. Now I feel like I’m in mourning all over again because those expectations were not met.”
“Extraordinarily sad”
The victims will be informed next week how much compensation they are entitled to. While these figures are not made public, the judges are said to have based their decisions on indicative tables used by courts to determine damages for families of victims of auto accidents, for example. These amounts range form €1,500 to €15,000, though it is known that V-Europe has asked for far more for those whose family members died in the attack.
In any case, the victims might never actually receive the compensation awarded to them. In a civil case, damages are meant to be paid by the perpetrators, but the convicted terrorists are not thought to have means at their disposal. The victims can try other avenues to try to receive compensation, “but the chance is next to nothing that they will ever get any real payout,” said Vansteenkiste.
That is why, he says, the victims expected some kind of statement to be made by the judges at yesterday’s hearing. “We’ve been struggling with this for so long,” he said. There is “far too little expertise” in the judiciary. “There is so much to learn. This is extraordinarily sad.”