Salah Abdeslam and four of his co-defendants in the trial of the March 22, 2016 attacks in Brussels left the courtroom on Wednesday morning to protest in particular once morest the conditions of extraction judged “unworthy”. It is therefore in front of an almost empty box that the reading of the indictment continues this Wednesday at Justitia.
“All we want is to talk, all we want is to defend ourselves”assured one of them, Ali El Haddad Asufi, while his box neighbors got up and left without a word.
In addition to the Frenchman Salah Abdeslam, the Belgian-Moroccan Mohamed Abrini, the Swede Osama Krayem and the Tunisian Sofien Ayari, all already condemned in France for their participation in the attacks of November 13 in Paris, left the box.
“Everything is done to keep us quiet (…) everything is done to break us psychologically”continued Ali El Haddad Asufi, accused of providing logistical support to the perpetrators of the attacks that killed 32 people at Brussels-Zaventem airport and in the Brussels metro.
He asked “dignified measures”as “all litigants”.
“If no one speaks, there can be no trial”said Ali El Haddad Asufi, denouncing a “political trial” before deserting the box in turn.
“For the Assize Court, this is not a political trial”said President Laurence Massart. “We will examine everything for and once morest”she insisted.
The protests once morest the conditions of extraction and transfer of the seven accused appearing detained – two others are free and a tenth, presumed dead in Syria, is tried in absentia – had already marked the first day of debates on Monday.
Mohamed Abrini, known as “the man in the hat” who gave up blowing himself up at Brussels airport on March 22, 2016, spoke out to criticize transfer conditions “pitiful” et “humiliating”, blindfolded with “satanic music loud”as well as strip searches.
Ali El Haddad Asufi’s lawyer, Jonathan de Taye, had denounced the naked genuflections and announced a formal notice from the Ministry of Justice in order to obtain the relaxation of security measures.
After this hearing incident, the public prosecutor continued to read the indictment, a summary of the investigations of more than 400 pages, in front of an almost empty box.
A trial without a defendant: “not possible”
“It is not conceivable for us that the defendants do not take part in the trial!”proclaims on Wednesday the Life4Brussels group, which brings together the lawyers of 300 victims of the attacks in Brussels and Zaventem in 2016.
“The SPF Justice must absolutely remedy the situation. (…) After the saga of the boxes, today, a new saga risks jeopardizing this trial. It is not possible for us that the accused do not take no part in this trial!”according to a brief press release from Life4Brussels.
Attack survivors went through terrible things following the 2016 attacks, but that’s no reason “to treat the defendants in an inhuman and degrading manner”says a victim, quoted in the press release. “Some of the victims need answers”said the president of Life4Brussels Jamila Adda. “If the conditions are really that bad, something has to be done regarding it. The victims must not be held hostage by this situation.”