Almost 10 after the terrorist attacks at Zaventem Airport and the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels a survivor of the attack at Maalbeek metro station, has chosen to talk directly to one of the convicted perpetrators. Christelle Giovannetti is a survivor of the attack at Maalbeek metro station She met Mohamed Abrini in prison as part of the restorative justice programme that gives victims and perpetrators the opportunity to share how the crime, they were a victim of has affected them.
Almost 10 years after the Brussels terrorist attacks a survivor talks to perpetrator in prison
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The first meeting took place through the not-for-profit organisation Médiante. Médiante brings victims and perpetrators of crimes into contact with each other. Christelle Giovannetti then joined the ‘Retissons du lien’ group that brings together victims of terrorist attacks and families affected by a member's involvement in jihadist ideologies. The group organises meetings, some of which inside in prisons.
Christelle Giovannetti told the press agency Belga that “It's a process that requires months of preparation so that the conversation can take place in a calm atmosphere. When we first met, he was more nervous than I was.” They eventually spent the whole afternoon talking. Christelle Giovannetti stresses that she was not looking to forgive or for an apology. “Actually, I just wanted to understand.” Their conversations focused on their backgrounds and the very different paths they had taken. “We are the same age and grew up in societies that are not so different, me in France, he in Belgium. Yet at some point we came to have very different outlooks on life”. They soon realised that they do have things in common though. “We have both lost a brother or sister.”
Following the attacks Mohamed Abrini became known as “the man in the hat’. He, was filmed at Brussels Airport in Zaventem (Flemish Brabant) on on 22 March 2016, along with the two men that later blew themselves up in an suicide attack. He fled after the explosions.
41-year-old Abrini is serving his sentence in Leuze-en-Hainaut prison in Hainaut Province. He is serving both a 30-year sentence given to him by a Belgian court for his part in the Brussels attacks) and a life sentence with a minimum of 22 years given to him by a court in France. Christelle Giovannetti describes Mohamed Abrini as a man “that talks a lot, thinks a lot, is cultured and reads a lot,” and who she says has gained a different perspective on his life in the decade since he carried out the attacks.
“I haven't closed the book, but I have turned the page.”
“When you stand face to face with him in a room, you cannot ignore the fact that he is a human being. You can no longer convince yourself that they are monsters that are completely different from us”. She adds that Abrini is now taking responsibility for his actions. “Yes, he deeply regrets what he has done and does not hide behind excuses. He has learned a lot.”
The conversations have also helped her to move on. “I have found inner peace. I haven't closed the book, but I have turned the page.”