Nearly a decade after the 2016 Brussels bombings, a survivor of the attack at Maalbeek metro station has chosen an unusual path to confront the trauma.
Christelle Giovannetti met convicted attacker Mohamed Abrini in prison, also known as 'the man in the hat', through a restorative justice initiative that allows victims and perpetrators to discuss the consequences of crimes.
The first contact was organised by the non-profit Médiante, which facilitates dialogue between victims and offenders.
Giovannetti later joined the collective Retissons du lien, which brings together victims of terrorist attacks and families impacted by radicalisation. The group regularly organises meetings in prisons.
"It's a process that requires months of preparation so the conversation can happen calmly," Giovannetti explained. "When we first met, he was actually more nervous than I was."
The meeting lasted an entire afternoon. Giovannetti says she was not looking for forgiveness or an apology.
"I just wanted to understand," she told Belga News Agency.
Their conversations focused on their backgrounds and the very different paths their lives had taken.
"We are the same age and grew up in societies that are not so different. I grew up in France, he in Belgium. Yet at some point we had completely different visions of life," she said.
The two also discovered unexpected similarities. "We both lost a brother or sister."
'The man in the hat' was filmed on CCTV at Brussels Airport on the morning of the attacks alongside two suicide bombers before fleeing the scene.
Now 41, he is serving his sentence at Leuze-en-Hainaut Prison. Abrini is serving both his Belgian sentence of 30 years for his role in the Brussels attacks and a French sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years.
Giovannetti describes him as 'someone who talks a lot, thinks a lot, reads a lot', and says he now appears to reflect deeply on his past.
"When you are face-to-face with him, you cannot ignore the human being," she said. "You can no longer tell yourself they are monsters completely different from us."
According to her, Abrini now acknowledges responsibility for his actions. "He deeply regrets what he did and does not hide behind excuses. He has learned a lot and continues to work on himself."
For Giovannetti, the meetings have also brought a form of closure.
"I have found inner peace," she said. "I have not closed the book, but I have turned the page."
