Suspects of Brussels attacks may no longer be searched naked | Abroad
The Belgian judiciary is forbidden to search the suspects of the 2016 Brussels attacks naked before each session day. Six attackers had complained about the security measures they had to undergo every day before going from prison to court.
The suspects say they must undergo the search completely naked so that the guards can check that they are not smuggling anything. They would also be moved blindfolded. Earlier, the suspects complained about the “satanic music” that was changed in the vans to disorient them. That music was then turned off.
In recent weeks, the suspects have left the courtroom several times in protest at the ‘degrading’ treatment they are receiving. The Belgian defenders consider both the blindfold and the search necessary for safety, but the judge thinks differently about the latter. The naked search would be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, because it is daily and systematic. Blindfolds are still allowed.
Nine suspects, one of whom is in absentia, are on trial in Brussels in the months-long terror trial. The attacks of 22 March 2016, first at Zaventem airport and an hour later at Maalbeek metro station, killed a total of 32 people. About 340 people injured injured.
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