A Belgian court sentenced a policeman with a suspended sentence of one year to a policeman who fired the shot that killed a two-year-old girl during a high-speed chase against alleged smugglers of people.
The courtroom in Mons, in southern Belgium, ruled that the policeman’s report of an accidental shooting was credible, but also concluded that he had a share of responsibility for the death of the Kurdish child.
According to local media, the van driver was sentenced to four years in prison and another alleged smuggler was acquitted. Smugglers tried to reach Britain during the persecution.
In May 2018, the police wanted to check a suspicious van passing through Belgium and started a chase when the driver tried to avoid them. Police shot the van during the chase, hitting Mawda Shawri in the head. She later died of her injuries.
Belgian authorities said police chasing the car shot the car to try to stop it and had no intention of reaching the people inside. The officer who fired said he tried to puncture the vehicle’s left front tire and force it to stop. In all, 30 people were in the van, including Mawda’s brother and parents.
The policeman said he fired after the van swerved toward the police car. The court said using a gun to puncture a tire was a disproportionate use of force that put the van’s passengers, as well as other road users, in danger.
Mawda’s death has become a symbol for many Belgians of the injustice that confronts migrants and refugees fleeing their homelands in search of a better life in Europe. Protesters gathered in front of the court on Friday to support Mawda’s family.
Earlier on Friday, Belgium’s migration minister, Sammy Mahdi, told local broadcaster RTBF that Mawda’s parents were allowed to stay in Belgium indefinitely and would no longer need to renew a temporary residence permit annually.