A 23-year-old Belgian student and environmental activist has been arrested in Switzerland following accusations of sabotage and vandalism, L’Avenir reports. His family claims that he is being held in inhumane conditions.
Known to his supporters by the pseudonym 'Jérémy', the young Belgian from Liège studied sociology at the University of Geneva, where he had been an active and militant environmental activist. According to his family, he had become involved in a ZAD (Zone to Defend) environmentalist student association.
ZAD activists squat in locations to protect them from development projects. At the start of 2022, Jérémy and other activists sabotaged an industrial site owned by cement company Holcim near Geneva, which intended to expand a gravel pit on the site. The suspect is accused of setting fire to vehicles belonging to the cement company and other petty vandalism.
According to Swiss newspaper La Tribune de Genève, the local 'zadistes' sabotaged the site in an act of revenge after they were ejected from an area that they had occupied for six months.
Six months after the incident, Jérémy’s DNA was found at the scene of the crime. He is now awaiting trial and has been denied bail due to suspicions that he will flee the country. The suspect is a dual national of Belgium and Switzerland.
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The family of the suspect stated that they "don’t know if he did something wrong or not" but defended his character and say that he is being held in "inhumane, revolting and very severe conditions." Jérémy is said to be physically and psychologically "deteriorating."
"There are five detainees in a 15 m2 cell. He only has the right to one hour outside per day in a very small courtyard," a family member told L’Avenir. "He is also only allowed one hour of visits per week, with a strip search before and after, not to mention the deplorable hygiene conditions he has to face."
