10 years after Brussels attacks: Survivor talks to perpetrator in prison
Ten years after the attacks of 22 March 2016 in Brussels, Christelle Giovannetti, a survivor of the attack at Maalbeek metro station, has chosen to talk directly to one of the convicted perpetrators. She met Mohamed Abrini in prison as part of restorative justice, which gives victims and perpetrators the opportunity to share how the crime has affected them.
The first meeting took place through the non-profit organisation Médiante, which brings victims and perpetrators of crimes into contact with each other. Giovannetti then joined the collective Retissons du lien, which brings together victims of terrorist attacks and families affected by a member's involvement in jihadist ideologies. The group organises meetings, including in prisons.
“It's a process that requires months of preparation so that the conversation can take place in a calm atmosphere,” Giovannetti explains. “When we first met, he was more nervous than I was.” In the end, they spent the entire afternoon talking.
The young woman emphasises that she was not looking for forgiveness or apologies. “Actually, I just wanted to understand.” Their conversations focused on their backgrounds and the very different paths they had taken. “We are the same age and grew up in societies that are not so different – me in France, him in Belgium – and yet at some point we had very different outlooks on life,” she notes. They realised they also had things in common. “We have both lost a brother or sister.”
Mohamed Abrini, nicknamed “the man in the hat”, was filmed at Zaventem airport on 22 March 2016, along with the two men who later blew themselves up. He fled after the explosions.
The 41-year-old Abrini is serving his sentence in Leuze-en-Hainaut prison in the province of Hainaut. Abrini is serving both his Belgian sentence (30 years for his part in the Brussels attacks) and his French sentence (life imprisonment, of which at least 22 years behind bars). Giovannetti describes a man “who talks a lot, thinks a lot, is cultured and reads a lot,” and who, according to her, has gained a different perspective on his life.
“When you stand face to face with him in a room, you cannot ignore the human being. You can no longer convince yourself that they are monsters who are completely different from us,” she states. According to her, Abrini is now taking responsibility for his actions. “Yes, he deeply regrets what he has done and does not hide behind excuses. He has learned a lot and continues to work on it.”
For her, the conversations have also helped her to move on. “I have found inner peace. I haven't closed the book, but I have turned the page.”
Drawing showing Mohamed Abrini at the trial of the Brussels attacks of March 22, 2016 © BELGA PHOTO JONATHAN DE CESARE
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