Monday, the first day of the hearing, Mohamed Abrini wishes to inform the president of the assize court of a “worrying situation“. He evokes the conditions under which the accused are transferred from the prison to the Justitia building. “They humiliate us, blindfold us and play satanic music loudly in our ears”before announcing: “If we have to suffer such humiliations once more, I will not answer any questions”.
On Wednesday, five of the seven accused in the box asked to leave the hearing. They are Mohamed Abrini, Salah Abdeslam, Sofien Ayari, Osama Krayem and Ali El Haddad Asufi. Before leaving the box, the latter asks to speak and addresses the president of the assize court : “I’ve been waiting for this trial for six and a half years, I want to explain myself, but it’s not possible. Everything is done to humiliate us and break us psychologically. We don’t have the means to express ourselves calmly”.
The accused, already tried and sentenced to ten years in prison in Paris, also intends to denounce the conditions of transfer between the prison and the Justitia building. His lawyer, Me Jonathan De Taye, provides details. It evokes strip searches, genuflections, sensory deprivation, namely movements with blackout glasses, music at full volume.
To these interpellations, the president of the assize court clarified that she had no control over these issues. So she can’t do anything.
Asked, the federal police, in charge of these transfers, replied laconically: “These are strict procedures that apply around terrorism suspects, depending on the potential threat. For security reasons, we do not communicate details of the measures applied. The security of police officers, suspects and the population is a priority”.
