BRUSSELS, Dec 5 – The largest trial in Belgian history started on Monday with 10 men accused of involvement in Islamist suicide bombings in Brussels in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured over 300.
The trial is expected to last seven to nine months, which represents approximately 200 days of hearings and several thousand hours of debates. There are hundreds of boxes of material, representing thousands of pages of minutes and other expert reports, all of which will need to be subject to rigorous legal analysis.
Around 1,000 people have registered to be represented in the hearings.
As we look forward to the progress of the trial, it’ s important to make sure that victims and their families receive full information about the trial in a language they understand!
VSE’s member ‘V-EUROPE’ has launched an exemplary web-resource that provides information about the trial to the victims, their families and general public.
A dedicated website ( https://www.22-3.be/en_GB ) serves as an information point for those following the trial. The editorial team will publicise a weekly report, covering the latest trial developments.
The website provides useful information on the various aspects of the trial:
– Defence team representing the victims
– Added value and objectives of the defence team
– Calendars of events: short-term and long-term
– News digest
– Press clippings
– Practical information
Victim Support Europe’s team of volunteers helped to translate the initial website information into English, German and Dutch.
Throughout the trial, VSE is committed to support ‘V-Europe’ in disseminating the trial reports to a wider audience and translating them to various languages.
