The trial for the Brussels terror attacks began on Monday in the Belgian capital. This is an extraordinary trial. 10 defendants are on trial for the March 22, 2016, attacks on the airport and one of Brussels’ metro stations, which claimed the lives of 32 people.
Almost 1,000 people are expected to follow the process, with the injured people who will testify and the relatives of the victims who will follow it for personal interest. For some, this is the beginning of a new trial.
“I am very stressed and I am anxiously waiting to see what will happen. It’s the first day, so it was difficult. I hesitated until the last moment and told myself that I should be present. So, little by little we will see how it goes. When you are accompanied it is always easier”, says Loubna Selassi, family member of one of the victims.
Other civil parties seem to want above all to leave this wound behind. Esmael Fazal Sarah lost her sister in the subway attack, but does not expect much from this trial.
“I have no hatred. Not at all. I have never met the accused before. Looks don’t matter much to me. I am at peace with myself and as I have said before, I do not feel hatred towards the accused”, says Esmael Fazal Sara.
Of the 10 defendants, 9 are in the dock in Brussels. The question is whether they will want to talk during the sessions. For lawyers, it is necessary that debates take place and that everyone can express themselves.
“I think it is important to listen to all sides. It is dignified to hear their suffering. And what we will be able to say will be that we are not hiding behind the right to remain silent. But we are convinced that the judicial debate is necessary and that we must speak, clarify our actions, answer the questions of the civil side. We must bear in mind that it is not only the 9 accused who are responsible for what happened”, says Vincent Lurquin, the lawyer of one of the accused.
According to forecasts, the trial is expected to last from 6 to 8 months and all the defendants risk life imprisonment.