2023-10-31 09:14:00
The announcement of the murder of Claudia Van Der Stichelen deeply upset Stanislas Eskenazi, a criminal lawyer who notably defended terrorists from the Paris and Brussels attacks. “Death threats once morest lawyers in family law and divorce matters happen more often because these are extremely emotional matters, which lead to loss of sanity. We hear more and more often stories of mothers who kill their children, of feminicide. We must try to understand why we reach such extremes, this infernal circle. Many people confuse the abuser and their lawyer. What happened to my colleague is terrible. This unfortunately remains a horrible news story and it is a reminder to be careful. We are living in a period of hyperviolence and we must remain vigilant,” he explains.
The murderer of Maître Claudia Van Der Stichelen is still at large: “we must protect lawyers more in the exercise of their functions”
Me Eskenazi has already been the subject of several death threats during his career. “Most of the time, threats come in the form of emails, text messages and phone calls. I was also attacked in the street by an individual in 2016 when I was defending one of the Bataclan terrorists. I later understood that it was the husband of one of the victims. He didn’t understand why I was defending such a client. In such a situation, we must not overreact but show tolerance, moderation and empathy for these people who are direct and indirect victims without taking these threats too seriously. Some also aim to destabilize you,” he explains. “Since I received these threats, I have adopted a series of measures to protect myself. I avoid talking regarding my private life on social networks, showing my family, I am careful during my sports outings.”
“We must create a cell to protect lawyers”
For his part, criminal lawyer Olivier Martins believes that lawyers are not sufficiently protected in the exercise of their function. “I have already been the subject of threats like many of my colleagues. A few years ago, I notified the public prosecutor’s office and the investigating judge who were aware of my situation but no action was taken by the judicial authorities. In response, they explained to me that there were other, more urgent priorities to manage, that this is an integral part of our job. I find this scandalous, shameful especially since when a magistrate is threatened, strong protective measures are taken. Judicial authorities must take the threats faced by lawyers much more seriously, otherwise tragedies will repeat themselves. Furthermore, we often forget to say that the most violent threats do not concern criminal lawyers but rather lawyers who deal with family conflicts or who involve children.
Mr. Martins has repeatedly been confronted with serious threats during his long career. “The threats are made verbally, in the street by telephone. When I defended Abdallah Ait Oud (convicted of having kidnapped, raped and killed little Stacy Lemmens and Nathalie Mahy in Liège in 2006, Editor’s note), I received threatening letters and faxes. We do not systematically denounce the facts because we are taught to live with them, but in my opinion we should create a cell to protect lawyers within the bars and the public prosecutor’s office.”
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