The Brussels court of appeal acquitted 2 prison directors and one prison guard from Ittre prison of degrading treatment allegedly committed on the person of Farid Bamouhammad. FB had been charged with threatening prison guards in Ittre prison at the same time, and was convicted but handed no other sentence. The court followed the arguments of general counsel Stéphane Lempereur and acquitted the 3 staff members from Ittre prison, 2 directors and one guard, of the charges of degrading treatment of Farid Bamouhammad in December 2007. The prevention of inhuman treatment was, as in the first instance, downgraded to degrading treatment.
The court followed the general counsel as well when convicting Farid Bamouhammad of insulting and threatening prison guards in the Ittre prison, during the same detention period. However, in view of the breach of the reasonable time requirement, it did not issue a sentence. Farid Bamouhammad was only given a conviction.
Farid Bamouhammad, considered to be extremely dangerous, was incarcerated in Ittre prison on December 7th, 2007. Until December 16th of that year, he was held handcuffed in solitary confinement with a chain linking his ankles together. Prison guards and management explained that the prisoner had refused to let them remove the chain and handcuffs.
(Source: Belga)
