Suspect Mohamed Abrini on Friday deemed the Brussels bombing trial a farce and threatened to stop cooperating if the conditions of his transfer from prison to the courthouse do not change.
“I don’t even know what to say anymore. All this is a farce, hysteria, paranoia, hyper vigilance…,” Abrini said on Friday morning during summary proceedings at the Brussels civil court.
He reiterated that he would not speak at the trial related to the 22 March 2016 bombing attacks, in which he is one of the accused, if his transfer conditions do not change.
Abrini and five of his co-defendants filed a complaint earlier this month against the Belgian state, denouncing inhumane and degrading transfer conditions.
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Defendants complain of strip searches, loud music
The defendants allege that they were subjected to strip searches, forced to wear eye masks and had loud music played in the van transferring them to the courthouse.
“I compare the trial in Paris (relating to the 13 November 2015 terror attacks) with what is being done here," Abrini said. "In Paris, everything was done to place the defendants in the best possible conditions."
"I had no mask over my eyes, no bulletproof vest, no music. I listened to music, but this, what is imposed on us, is not music,” Abrini explained, implying that the sound was aggressive and meant to disorient the defendants during their transfer."
'Hitlerian' police methods
Some of the defendants said it was “heavy metal” music, others “hard rock”.
“I want to be here but calmly, quietly," Abrini said. "We have nothing left to lose. We are already heavily convicted. It’s complicated to get a pen, a fu--ing pen,” he said, adding that the police methods were “Hitlerian.”
“In these conditions, I won’t come,” he reiterated.
