The trial of the attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016 was briefly suspended after Walter Benjamin, a victim who was seriously injured in Zaventem, caused a stir in the courtroom when he brandished a Koran and read from a sura. The accused, Sofien Ayari and Salah Abdeslam, took offense when Benjamin accused them of insulting the Koran, and a heated exchange ensued. The president of the court, Laurence Massart, suspended the proceedings until things calmed down. When the trial resumed, Osama Krayem was no longer present in the accused’s box, and Mohamed Abrini, another accused, spoke about the incident, pointing out that such incidents had also occurred in the Paris trial, but the president of the court had called the survivors to order. Abrini’s lawyer, Laura Pinilla, defended her co-litigant Stanislas Eskenazi, who was accused by Benjamin of declaring that defending the defendants in the trial was “an honor”. Pinilla said that lawyers had immense respect for victims and their stories, and that it was not right for lawyers to be almost in the dock for doing their job.
The president of the Assize Court in charge of the trial of the attacks of March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Laurence Massart, briefly suspended the hearing on Tuesday afternoon after the testimony of Walter Benjamin, seriously injured in Zaventem, caused a scandal in the room.
The 50-year-old’s presentation began in a classic way, with an account of the horror experienced on the day of the attacks, the loss of his leg and the psychological consequences for him and his loved ones. But things went wrong when the witness brandished a Koran and read an extract from a sura. “You have insulted the Koran” he then launched to the accused, which did not please Sofien Ayari and Salah Abdeslam.
“I refuse to be said that I insulted the Koran!” Exclaimed the first. And the second to outbid: “We suffer here! We did nothing at all!”
“You are assassins!” Shouted the victim to them, before the president decided to suspend the hearing until things calmed down. “I can understand your suffering but it’s useless,” Laurence Massart had said to Walter Benjamin just before that.
When the proceedings resumed, about twenty minutes later, Osama Krayem was no longer present in the accused’s box. Mohamed Abrini, he wanted to speak after the testimony of the fifties. “We could have avoided this kind of incident,” said “the man in the hat”. “In Paris, it also happened that survivors treated the accused as murderers but the president of the court called them to order. He said ‘stop, there is no murderer in the box’. Me , I’m guilty, no need to wait for the verdict to say it. But there are people here who have nothing to do…”
“I’m doing not too badly so far, Mr. Abrini,” retorted Laurence Massart. “There may be times when I’m not quite top, but I do my best,” she added, recalling her long experience as president of the assize court.
Me Laura Pinilla, Mohamed Abrini’s lawyer, also wanted to come back to the witness’s remarks. Walter Benjamin attacked his co-litigant Me Stanislas Eskenazi by name, accusing him of having declared that defending the defendants in this trial was “an honor”. “We are swimming in delirium, it is the shame of lawyers!”, he was offended.
“We both have immense respect for victims and their stories. But it doesn’t seem normal or right to me that a lawyer should almost end up in the dock for doing their job. It’s going too far. A limit has been crossed. We do our job”, commented the criminal lawyer.
The trial of the March 22, 2016 Brussels attacks took a tumultuous turn when the testimony of Walter Benjamin, a victim of the attack, caused a commotion in the courtroom. With emotions running high and accusations flying, the president of the Assize Court was forced to suspend the hearing briefly to restore order. However, the trial eventually resumed with Mohamed Abrini’s statements on the incident. Meanwhile, Laura Pinilla, Mohamed Abrini’s lawyer, defended her co-litigant’s honor against Benjamin’s offensive remarks. The entire episode highlights the intensity and sensitivity of the trial and the challenges faced by all parties involved in seeking justice for such heinous acts.