Survivors of the 2016 double suicide bombing in Brussels have said they felt abandoned by the Belgian state, which they described as failing to heal a broken society seven years after the worst terrorist attacks in the country’s history.
Leila Maron, 41, was one of those who spoke at the Justitia Building court in Brussels on Wednesday in the trial of 10 accused in the March 22, 2016 attacks that killed 32 people and injured more than 300.
“Instead of protecting us, the state has left us in the hands of a system plagued by money,” she said.
She was giving evidence at the criminal trial of Mohamed Abrini, Sofiane Ayari, Ali El Haddad Asufi, Osama Krayem, Bilal El Makhoukhi, Herve Bayingana Muhirwa, Salah Abdeslam, and brothers Smail and Ibrahim Farisi. A 10th accused, Osama Atar, is believed to have been killed fighting with ISIS in Syria in 2017.
They are charged with multiple murders and attempted murders in a terrorist context.
Ms Maron had been sitting less than three metres from suicide bomber Khalid El Bakraoui, who killed 16 people when he detonated an explosive device shortly after an underground train had left Maalbeek metro station.
The explosion occurred little more than an hour after El Bakraoui’s accomplices had killed 16 others at Zaventem Airport — a time during which public transport continued to operate in the Belgian capital.
The attacks were claimed by ISIS.
“[The attackers] targeted us as representatives of the state,” said Ms Maron. “A state that has forgotten us and did not bring us the recognition or support that was necessary for us to rebuild.”
Belgium did not set up a state fund for survivors, who instead receive compensation through private insurers, a system Ms Maron described as a “bureaucratic maze” that questions survivors' legitimacy.
She said she was embroiled in a dispute with her insurer, who refuses to recognise her inability to work full-time and in 2019 stopped covering her medical expenses in full.
Doctors provided by the insurance company have pressurised her to return to work full time, she said, despite post-traumatic stress disorders having left her unable to bear noise or to remain in a room that is locked or without windows.
She also suffered from second-degree burns, a perforated eardrum and hearing loss.
“I live despite myself with a brain that is constantly hyper-vigilant, thinking I can die any time,” she said, linking her mental anguish to several miscarriages in the years since the attacks.
“One expert told me that I’d get pregnant if I just stopped mulling it all over,” said Ms Maron, who has given birth to a daughter and is pregnant with her second child.
Patricia Mercier, 54, was in the same metro carriage as Ms Maron and described a similar experience, with insurance companies making her feel guilty for not recovering quickly enough.
“I cannot explain to myself this gap between what I am going through and these medical evaluations,” she said.
Speaking to presiding judge Laurence Massart, Ms Mercier said she was relieved to sit in the court’s quarter reserved for survivors and said insurance companies had treated her like a suspect.
“Here, finally, things seem to be put back in their place,” she said.
Karen Northshield, 37, said such administrative burdens weighed heavily on survivors and in her case, compounded her traumatic injuries.
“I hope that with this trial we’ll be able to move forward ... so that this year all victims will be compensated,” she told The National.
Ms Northshield, a former athlete who was seriously injured at Zaventem Airport as she was waiting at check-in, spent 79 days in intensive care then three and a half years in hospital.
Doctors who removed parts of her gut and spleen believed she would die, she said.
Graphic pictures of her injuries, which showed how her left hip had been shattered by the explosion, were shown during her hearing. “After all these years of misery, I wish to finally have peace,” she told the court.
Others said they had found precious support among their families and friends. Olivier Lecomte, whose wife Sandrine Couturier, 54, was injured in the metro bombing, said it was important to recognise that family members should also be considered as victims although they were not directly hurt in the attack.
Mr Lecomte, 60, said for two years after the attacks, he and their daughters focused all their attention on Ms Couturier.
“For two years, I forgot myself. I repressed my emotions,” he said, adding that no one had asked him how he felt at the time. “I can count on the fingers of one hand how many people asked if I was OK.”
In a rare intervention, one of the accused, Mohamed Abrini, who was alleged by prosecutors to have fled Zaventem without detonating his bomb, asked to speak after Mr Lecomte.
He said he was “sorry” for what Ms Couturier went through. “I believe everyone in the dock feels the same,” he said, referring to the other eight defendants.
“And I want to ask [Mr Lecomte] how he feels,” said Mr Abrini, turning to the couple sitting at a table a few metres away.
“That way he can count on the fingers of two hands how many people asked him how he feels.”
His question prompted the judge to intervene: “It depends on whether the witness wants to answer. How are you?” she asked Mr Lecomte.
Mr Lecomte answered but avoided the usual "I am well" and said instead: “I am, Ms President.”
The trial, which is taking place at a special court set up at the Justitia in the Belgian capital, continues.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
