What justice for Belgian jihadi fighters?
In
There are still more than one hundred Belgian fighters in Syria and Iraq, some of which are currently detained in the region. The fall of the Caliphate and the US (partial) military withdrawal have increased pressure on European governments to decide on their fate, and notably whether they should be repatriated or not. In this context, the Belgian government announced its preference for trials by local jurisdictions, or alternatively by an international tribunal. This article discuss the pros and cons of such approach. It concludes that, compared to other European countries, Belgian institutions are well equipped to prosecute, detain and monitor these fighters.
This article was published in French for Le Vif, under the title ‘Quelle justice pour les djihadistes belges?’; and in Dutch for Knack under the title ‘Belgische Syriëstrijders berechten we best in België zelf’.
(Photo credit: by orangesparrow, Flickr)