Belgian presidency warned over ‘fast-track’ trials

Date: 25/10/01

THOUSANDS of peaceful protesters at the forthcoming EU summit in Laeken could be "swept up" by the Belgian legal fast-track trial system, an international human rights group has warned. The UK-based organisation, Fair Trials Abroad, says it will challenge the Belgian government in the courts if the controversial system is used on people who demonstrate at the mid-December European Council. Its director, Stephen Jakobi, visited Brussels last week with a blunt message for the Belgians: "We are watching you."

Under the so-called fast-track system, anyone who is arrested must be brought to trial within five days and the legal proceedings dealt with in seven. The prosecutor in each case is also in charge of all evidence presented to the court.

Jakobi, however, fears the system will be used against demonstrators who are expected to descend on Brussels in the thousands for the capstone summit of the Belgian EU presidency. The campaign group says the fast-track process is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights and unique in Europe. "The Convention clearly states that a defence lawyer has to have adequate time to prepare a case for his client but, of course, five days is no time at all," said Jakobi. "The EU summits in Genoa and Göteborg were marked by serious disturbances but at least in those countries the judicial system worked well." The civil liberties group already plans to take the Belgian government to the European Court of Justice over the case of a British soccer fan who was arrested during the

Euro 2000 tournament, which Belgium co-hosted last year with the Netherlands. Mark Forester was arrested and dealt with under the fast-track scheme and later received a suspended prison sentence. Jakobi says his group will challenge the legality of the Belgian system and will take up any similar cases involving innocent people arrested at Laeken.

Thousands of peaceful protestors at the forthcoming EU summit in Laeken could be 'swept up' by the Belgian fast-track trial system, an international human rights group has warned.