Since 08:30 on Friday, several hundred protesters gathered at the Palace of Justice in Brussels against police violence by the Brussels police.
The protest concerns the particular case of alleged police violence involved in the death of Sourour Abouda, who died in a Brussels police cell in January 2023.
On Friday, the Brussels Chamber of Indictment considered a possible indictment for involuntary manslaughter, which could lead to criminal proceedings against the Brussels Capital-Ixelles police zone. The ruling has been provisionally postponed without a specific date.
Abouda died in January 2023 in the RAC police station on Rue Royale in Brussels. According to the original police statement, it was death by suicide, but both friends and activists have questioned this. The Brussels Public Prosecutor's office has since filed a claim for manslaughter against the police zone involved.
Credit: Belga/Lou Lampaert
According to Abouda's family, this is "a small step towards justice". "Although it is difficult to be happy about it. Even if the police zone is held responsible for structural problems, we must not forget that the violence comes from individuals and that none of the officers personally involved are being prosecuted," explained Abouda's sister, Soumaya Phéline. The League for Human Rights has also sided with the family and protesters.
"When someone dies in a police station, it is not collective manslaughter but a collective responsibility of society. The public can and must know what happened," said the organiser of the action, collective Justice pour Sourour.
Credit: Belga/Lou Lampaert
During the demonstration at the Palace of Justice, protesters and concerned citizens not only expressed their outrage at Abouda's death but also denounced structural police violence within the police in Brussels.
The protesters claimed the Brussels Capital-Ixelles police zone is guilty of structural racism and violence against people of colour, undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, homeless people and activists.
They further pointed to the recent case of the death of an 11-year-old as an example of police violence. At the beginning of June, 11-year-old Fabian was killed in Elisabeth Park after a police chase. The patrol car involved drove through the park at high speed without flashing lights or sirens. According to the protesters, Fabian is the youngest victim in a long series.
