The #Justice4Mawda association is calling for a parliamentary commission on the case of Mawda, a girl killed by a gunshot during a police chase of a vehicle carrying migrants in 2018.
On 12 February, the Mons criminal court sentenced the driver of the van carrying the migrants to four years in prison for malicious obstruction of traffic and armed rebellion. The police officer who fired the fatal shot was given a one-year suspended sentence and fined €400, and the alleged smuggler was acquitted.
The police officer recently appealed against this conviction, while the prosecutor's office did the same against the alleged smuggler.
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During the trial, the prosecution had recognised structural dysfunctions, beyond the individual responsibility of the police officer. The judgement itself recognises that the questions raised by Mawda's parents are legitimate, the committee said.
The appeal against the court's decision will, however, only concern the individual responsibility of the police officer and the driver. The Court of Appeal cannot extend its referral to other responsibilities, #Justice4Mawda noted.
In its eyes, the creation of a parliamentary commission is therefore "indispensable". Parliamentarians could then hear the chain of responsibility, question the various judicial or political powers so that responsibilities are defined. "This parliamentary committee is essential to ensure that other similar cases do not happen again," she said.
The committee is therefore inviting citizens, via the website www.justice4mawda.be, to question and write to federal deputies, party presidents and the President of the Chamber of Representatives so that the desired commission of enquiry can be set up.
The Brussels Times
