AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

1. Belarus: Amnesty International deplores the execution of Siarhei
Ivanou (EUR 49/4014/2016)
2. Further information: Belarus’ last prisoner on death row at risk:
Siarhei Vostrykau (EUR 49/5274/2016) Belarus: Further information:
Gennadii Yakovitskii’s death sentence upheld (EUR 49/3890/2016)
3. It’s enough for people to feel it exists: Civil society, secrecy and
surveillance in Belarus (EUR 49/4306/2016)
4. Belarus: Activist arbitrarily convicted for peaceful protest (EUR
49/4317/2016)
BELGIUM
Kingdom of Belgium
Head of state: King Philippe
Head of government: Charles Michel
The authorities adopted a wide range of new
laws and policies in the aftermath of the
attacks in the capital, Brussels, in March.
Civil society organizations continued to
receive reports of ethnic profiling by police.
Prison conditions remained poor; the
European Court of Human Rights criticized
Belgium for its treatment of mentally ill
offenders.
COUNTER-TERROR AND SECURITY
On 22 March, three suicide bombers killed
32 people and injured hundreds in two coordinated
attacks in Brussels. In the
aftermath of the attacks, the authorities
intensified the implementation of the wide
range of security measures announced after
the attacks in Paris, France, in 2015.
The authorities further broadened the
scope of the provisions on terrorism-related
offences, loosened procedural safeguards
and adopted new policies to address
“radicalization”. Some measures caused
concern regarding the principle of legality,
including legal clarity, and the respect of the
freedoms of association and expression.
In February, the federal government
announced the new policy framework “Plan
Canal” to address radicalization in several
municipalities in the Brussels area. It
included the deployment of increased
police and tighter administrative controls
on associations.
In April, the federal government agreed to
establish a database to facilitate the sharing
of information between government agencies
concerning individuals suspected of having
travelled abroad to commit terrorism-related
offences. In July, the government announced
a similar database for “hate preachers”. In
December, Parliament adopted a bill aimed
at broadening police surveillance powers.
Also in July, the federal Parliament
extended the provision on incitement to
commit a terrorism-related offence and eased
restrictions on the use of pre-trial detention
for those suspected of terrorism-related
offences. In December, Parliament passed
legislation criminalizing preparatory acts to
commit a terrorism-related offence and
legislation on retention of Passenger
Name Records.
Despite the government’s commitment at
the UPR in May to ensure that measures to
counter terrorism respect human rights, little
effort was made to assess the human rights
impact of new measures.
PRISON CONDITIONS
Conditions of detention remained poor due to
overcrowding, dilapidated facilities and
insufficient access to basic services,
including to health care. In April, a threemonth
strike by prison staff further worsened
prison conditions and access to health care
for prisoners.
Despite the entry into force of positive
legislative amendments in October, many
mentally ill offenders remained detained in
regular prisons with insufficient care and
treatment. In September the European Court
of Human Rights found in W.D. v Belgium
that the detention of mentally ill offenders
without access to adequate care remained a
structural problem. The Court ordered the
government to adopt structural reforms within
two years.
DISCRIMINATION
In April, Belgium’s equality body Unia
reported a rise in discrimination against
persons of Muslim faith in the aftermath of
the Brussels attacks, especially in the area of
84 Amnesty International Report 2016/17