This newsletter summarises the verdict pronounced in the trial of the 22 March attacks, which was read on the evening of 25 July.
Since December of last year, the trial for the March 22, 2016 Brussels attacks, targeting Zaventem national airport and Maelbeek subway station, has been underway. After more than seven months of legal proceedings, the verdict has been announced. This long-awaited verdict marks an important step in the pursuit of justice for the victims’ families and survivors. The quality of the motivation of the decision has been stressed by many observers.
The verdict in a nutshell
The table below summarises the main points of the verdict.
The jury rejected the request by Bilal EL MAKHOUKHI's lawyers to reclassify the events as war crimes.
The jury also considered that the deaths of three victims, which occurred several months or years after the attacks, were a direct consequence of the attacks, and that these people should therefore be considered as deceased victims. In the case of a fourth person, the jury did not agree that this was the case.
Press articles
Here are several articles providing more information on the verdict:
What's next?
Now that the verdict on the defendants' guilt has been delivered, the sentencing debate must still be held to determine what sentence the defendants will receive.
The President has announced that the hearing will begin on Monday 4 September at 9am at the Justitia.
We want to hear your opinion!
Do you have any advice or remarks to improve the newsletter? Do not hesitate to send an e-mail to Florian Jehin: florian.jehin@v-europe.org.