Brussels Civil Court Rejects Salah Abdeslam’s Request for French Detention: Full Details and Implications

2023-09-13 13:18:48

The Brussels civil court, sitting in summary proceedings, on Wednesday rejected Salah Abdeslam’s request to prohibit the Belgian state from returning him to detention in France following the assize trial in Brussels and to authorize him to serve his sentence. in Belgium.

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Salah Abdeslam was sentenced by the Paris Special Assize Court in June 2022 to an irreducible life prison sentence, for his role in the attacks of November 13, 2015 in the French capital. He was then “loaned” by France to Belgium, via an agreement between the two countries, in July 2022, in order to be able to appear at his trial for the attacks of March 22, 2016, before the Brussels Assize Court.

According to his lawyers, he would face inhumane and degrading treatment if he were now returned to a French prison. They mentioned 24-hour video surveillance in the cell and total isolation, prohibiting their client from having the slightest social contact. However, Belgium has the obligation to verify whether or not a person risks suffering inhuman and degrading treatment in a country before authorizing their transfer to it. Salah Abdeslam’s counsel therefore filed an appeal before the Brussels civil court, for interim relief on the grounds that the request is urgent.

The debates between the Belgian state and Salah Abdeslam’s lawyers took place on September 4. On Wednesday, the judge in summary proceedings, who rules only “on the appearance of law” and not on the merits, considered that “the alleged violation” of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, “was not sufficiently established” in this case.

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