Day 2: Salah Abdeslam Refuses to Appear in Court
Salah Abdeslam said he did not want to reappear before the Court.
Although Salah Abdeslam did not show any will to cooperate when he was taken before the Belgian judges on Monday, there was still a hope to get him to talk.
Both the families’ victims and the investigators will surely be disappointed, even if they were doubtful about what the only remaning suspect of the Paris attacks in 2015 could have contributed towards intelligence.
Luc Hennart, the President of the Brussels French-speaking Tribunal lower court, published a press released in which he said “It seemed to be important to inform you that Salah Abdeslam informed the Tribunal about the fact that he did not want to appear for the hearing”, which will be held on Thursday. »
Public criticism appeared on Twitter, as several people argued there was no way for Mr. Abdeslam to choose whether he wanted to attend the hearing or not. However, the right to silence is guaranteed by the law, both in France and in Belgium, and the defendant has the possibility not to be present during the trial. His accomplice, Sofiane Ayari, may be the only one present on Thursday.
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Salah Abdeslam and Sofiane Ayari are charged with a shooting that took place in Brussels (rue Dries) on 15th March, 2016. Another trial will take place in France later in regards to the Paris attacks. Yesterday, the Public prosecutor, Kathleen Grosjean, called for a 20-year jail sentence for both suspects, for the attempted murder of police officers.
