A Belgian was sentenced Wednesday, October 13 by an Assize Court to a one-year suspended prison sentence for threats made on social networks against women, during an unprecedented trial in Belgium.
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This is the first time that a jury of the Assize Court had to judge a “
press offense
” for threats and hate speech published on social networks, in particular Facebook and Twitter. The trial opened on Monday before the assizes in Liège (East), where Sami Haenen, 34, had justified his writings by his desire to fight "
the scourge of feminism
".
On Wednesday, the accused, who faced up to five years in prison, was found guilty of "
press offense
" for the dissemination of threats considered serious to women and feminist movements.
On the other hand, he was acquitted for the prevention of "
incitement to hatred
", which was welcomed by his lawyer, Alexandre Wilmotte.
"
It was obviously an unfortunate reference to mention Elliot Rodger, but the court ruled that it was a one-off slip
," commented Alexandre Wilmotte, joined by AFP.
The reference to Rodger: key element
Elliot Rodger is an American student author of a 2014 massacre in California (United States).
After proclaiming his hatred of society and women, he killed six people, including three women.
He then committed suicide.
A video published on the internet in 2020 by Sami Haenen, in which he combined his sexist threats with a reference to Rodger, was one of the key elements of the prosecution in this trial.
In her indictment, the representative of the public prosecutor had requested three years in prison against him, with a partial suspension.
He finally receives a 12-month sentence with a probationary suspension of two years, allowing him to escape execution of the sentence within this period, under certain conditions.
If these conditions were not met, the sentence would cover the pre-trial detention already carried out and Sami Haenen would not return to prison, explained Alexandre Wilmotte.
"
It is a relief for him to have regained his freedom,
" added the lawyer.
The accused had been placed under electronic surveillance for several months after a period of imprisonment.
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In Belgium, the "
press offense
" is the responsibility of a popular jury of the Assize Court, as the Constitution has provided for nearly two centuries.
Exceptions are only provided for statements relating to incitement to racial hatred and xenophobia, which may be tried by a criminal court.
