Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne declined to comment in parliament on the reasons for the State's appeal against a court decision to ban the strip searches imposed on detainees on trial in connection with the 22 March 2016 bomb attacks.
“We shall present our arguments before the appeals court," the Justice Minister said. "I refrain from any other comment.”
The detainees have been subjected to systematic strip searches when transferred from prison to court. However, they filed for a summary judgement against the measure, and won. On 29 December, a Brussels judge banned the nude frisks on the grounds that they violate the European Convention on Human Rights.
Last weekend, the minister ordered the Federal Justice Department to appeal.
“We read the decision and took it into account” by writing a directive on those transfers on 2 January, Van Quickenborne recalled. “Even though the decision [of the court] was nuanced and thoroughly justified, we decided to appeal [...] after consultation with the police and the administration.
"We shall present our arguments before the court of appeal, which is also the only proper place. I shall therefore refrain from all comment from now on.”
“It is precisely in order not to jeopardise the continuation of the trial that I must keep in the background and be careful in my comments,” the minister explained. The trial will take months and some security measures will then “quickly seem systematic,” he added.
