2023-07-24 17:26:00
The verdict and its motivation “might” be read Tuesday from 2:00 p.m. by the president of the assize court, Laurence Massart, during a public hearing at the Justitia in Haren, said Monday evening the spokesperson for the assize court, Luc Hennart. The final time of this reading has yet to be confirmed, he added.
After regarding seven months of trial, the jury retired on July 6 for a lengthy deliberation on the guilt of the defendants. The 12 effective jurors and the remaining 15 substitutes (nine jurors having had to abandon their posts during the trial for various reasons) were therefore locked up in a Brussels hotel, the address of which was kept secret, along with the three effective magistrates of the court and their two substitutes.
Three groups were then formed. The first, made up of jurors and effective magistrates, had the difficult task of analyzing the voluminous file of 489 boxes to arrive at a verdict. To this end, the members of the jury had to answer yes or no to 287 questions with the help of the elements of the file and everything that was said during the trial. The seven women and five men who make up the actual jury then had to justify their answers in a written statement with the help of the three magistrates.
Trial of the Brussels attacks: following long months of debate, the time has come for deliberation
The second and the third group, composed for one of the 15 substitute jurors and for the other of the two substitute magistrates, were only to be present in the event that one of the effective members of the jury or of the magistrature was unable to continue the deliberation. They therefore had to occupy their days as best they might, coming to terms with the formal ban on having contact with the outside world or with other groups. Any device to communicate or connect to the internet was also prohibited. Before leaving for deliberation, the president of the court had explained that any violation of these rules might lead to the cancellation of the trial and would therefore involve starting all over once more from the beginning.
The first group has therefore now completed its work and ruled on the guilt or innocence of Osama Atar, Mohamed Abrini, Osama Krayem, Salah Abdeslam, Sofien Ayari, Ali El Haddad Asufi, Bilal El Makhoukhi, Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa, Smail Farisi and Ibrahim Farisi. Among these ten men, the first, presumed dead in Syria, is missing. All must answer for assassinations and attempted assassinations in a terrorist context as well as participation in the activities of a terrorist group, with the exception of Ibrahim Farisi. The latter, who appears free like his brother Smail, must answer only for the last count.
After the reading of the answers to the questions and the motivation in open court, a month’s break will be declared on the occasion of the traditional judicial holidays of August. Further hearings will take place in September, before the jurors embark on a second deliberation to decide on the sentence to be imposed on the convicted defendants.
On March 22, 2016, two explosions sounded at Brussels-National airport in Zaventem. The first at 07:58 and the second a few seconds later. A third bomb was later discovered at the scene. The demining services blew it up following evacuating the rescue and police services still on site. A little over an hour later, at 9:11 a.m., a new explosion occurred, this time in Brussels, in the Maelbeek metro station. These terrorist attacks left 32 dead and hundreds injured.
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