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Belgium Page 1 of 9 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belgium Page 1 of 9 Belgium Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 6, 2007 The Kingdom of Belgium, with a population of approximately 10.5 million, is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch who plays a mainly symbolic role. The country is a federal state with several levels of government, including national, regional (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels), community (Flemish, Francophone, and German), provincial, and local. The Council of Ministers (cabinet), led by the prime minister, holds office as long as it retains the confidence of the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) of the bicameral parliament. Federal parliamentary elections held in 2003 were free and fair and resulted in a four-party coalition government. Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces. The government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, and the law and the judiciary provided effective means of addressing individual instances of abuse. The following human rights problems were reported: lengthy pretrial detention, violence against ethnic and religious minorities and against women, racial and ethnic discrimination in the job market, and trafficking in persons. RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From: a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. b. Disappearance There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances. c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment The law prohibits such practices, and there were no reports that government officials employed them. Prison and Detention Center Conditions Overcrowding remained a problem in a system where approximately 9,500 inmates filled facilities with a capacity of 8,311. Almost half of all inmates were foreign nationals, with the latter also accounting for about half the group in pretrial detention. The large number of noncitizen inmates prompted the authorities to acknowledge cultural problems in the prisons. In April the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) issued a report on its April 2005 visit to the country. The report expressed concern about reports of mistreatment in police custody. The CPT expressed concern about detention conditions at the special center of the Brussels national airport. This facility holds persons suspected of seeking to enter the country illegally. The report also noted that, during a strike by prison wardens, authorities failed to provide a decent quality of life for inmates. This failure occurred despite efforts by police, Belgian Red Cross, and civil protection teams to maintain security, family visits, and access to lawyers. The delegation also examined the circumstances in which two prisoners died during a 2003 strike at the Andenne prison. Legal proceedings resulted in a court decision to throw out the case. The report also expressed concern about conditions at psychiatric wards, where inmates were held in small cells. Prisons met most international standards. The government was upgrading some older facilities but overcrowding remained a problem as incarcerations outpaced construction. During the year the country continued to expand psychiatric prison ward capacity following criticism of inmate treatment. Juvenile prisoners were sometimes held with adults. Convicted criminals and pretrial detainees were held together. The government permitted visits by members of parliament and independent human rights groups, and they visited during the year. In addition the government instituted a system in which an independent control committee exercised oversight of each individual prison. A nationwide body, the Central Control Council, coordinates and oversees the prison-based organizations. Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belgium Page 2 of 9 d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, and the government generally observed these prohibitions. Role of the Police and Security Apparatus The federal police council, an anticorruption unit, and the federal Interior Ministry managed the operations of the federal police forces. An independent oversight committee monitored police activities and compiled an annual report for parliament. The federal police were responsible for internal security and nationwide law and order. The local police operated branches in all 196 police districts responsible for local law enforcement. There were isolated incidents of corruption in the police force; during the year the federal Ministry of the Interior issued a new ethics code aimed at further reducing instances of corruption. In 2005 the parliamentary oversight committee received 2,221 complaints about police behavior, a 16 percent increase compared to the previous year. The complaints concerned discriminatory behavior, racism, failure to intervene, violations of privacy, and arbitrary detention. The oversight committee found 212 cases of individual mistakes, and 46 cases concerning organizational defects. In general one in eight complaints appeared to be justified, according to a parliamentary body responsible for police oversight. Arrest and Detention Under the constitution, an individual can only be arrested while committing a crime, or by order of a judge that must be served within twenty- four hours of the time of arrest. The law provides a person in detention the right to a prompt judicial determination of the legality of his detention, and the authorities generally respected this right in practice. Detainees were promptly informed of charges against them. There is a functioning bail system, but during the year there was mounting controversy over the conditional release system which was viewed as being too lenient. The justice minister was forced to issue a temporary conditional release stop for certain categories of hardened criminals. According to May figures, 37 percent of the prison population consisted of pretrial detainees. The average length of pretrial detention was 90 days. e. Denial of Fair Public Trial The law provides for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected this provision in practice. The judicial system is composed of civil and criminal courts, which both refer cases to courts of appeal. The courts of first instance (district courts) are responsible for civil and commercial litigation for matters that exceed the jurisdiction of a justice of the peace. There are five appellate courts and one Supreme Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation) overseeing both the civil and criminal courts. The Supreme Court of Appeal verifies that the law has been correctly applied and that no procedural errors have been committed. When the Supreme Court of Appeal overturns a ruling, the case is referred to one of the appeals courts to reexamine the facts. The criminal courts consist of the magistrate's court, correctional courts, and the criminal chambers of the court of appeal. In addition, each province has a special criminal court, with a public jury to try murder cases. Each judicial district has a labor court, which deals with litigation between employers and employees regarding wages, notice, competition clauses, and social security benefits. There is also a magistrate in each district to monitor cases involving religious groups (see section 2.c.). Trial Procedures The law provides for the right to a fair trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right. All defendants are presumed innocent and have the right to be present, to have counsel (at public expense if needed), to confront witnesses, to present evidence, and to appeal. An amendment to the youth protection code adopted in May provided judges of juvenile courts with a wider range of possibilities for mediation and sentencing young offenders. Young offenders committing serious crimes can be tried by a regular court for adults, but with youth judges present, and these offenders can be incarcerated in special youth detention centers until the age of 23. The law authorizes jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity outside the national territory when the victim or perpetrator is a citizen of or resides in the country. In April the law was amended to avoid discrimination against refugees and to guarantee means of appeal. Political Prisoners and Detainees There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees. Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies There is an independent and impartial judiciary in civil matters. Plaintiffs can either individually or through specialized organizations seek damages for human rights violations under the prevailing antidiscrimination legislation. There were no problems enforcing court orders. f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belgium Page 3 of 9 The law prohibits such actions, and the government generally respected these prohibitions in practice. Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including: a. Freedom of Speech and Press The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the government generally respected these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combined to ensure freedom of speech and
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