The Supreme Court of Justice is considering ‘special investigation’ into class justice following the Sanda Dia trial | Instagram VTM NEWS

The HRJ is separate from parliament, the government and the judiciary. By conducting investigations and handling complaints, the body exercises independent control over the judiciary in Belgium. During the Justice Committee of the Chamber on Wednesday it appeared that the HRJ will examine on June 15 whether a ‘special investigation’ should be conducted into the Sanda Dia case.

In a ‘special investigation’, it is examined how a certain file was handled and whether improvements can be made to the functioning of the justice system. “A special study seeks to identify structural problems and make proposals to remedy them; the intent is not to designate individuals’ responsibilities,” the HRJ website reads. During a ‘special investigation’, statements under oath can be taken, among other things.

In the past, the HRJ opened a ‘special investigation’ into the Julie Van Espen case, into the judicial inquiry into the death of Jozef Chovanec and into the Yassine Mahi case.

Opposition party PVDA asked the parliamentary committee for a debate on the social feeling of class justice that arose as a result of the case. An objective discussion proves difficult, if only because very little research has been done on it, for example. It is an option to ask the High Council for Justice for such an investigation, but that can only be done by the Minister of Justice or by the full Chamber.

The Justice committee took the plunge on Wednesday: chairwoman Kristien Van Vaerenbergh (N-VA) will inform the HRJ in a letter that the committee is in favor of an investigation into the matter. Additional hearings can be organized afterwards if necessary.

The judgment of the Antwerp Court of Appeal caused quite a stir. Quite a few people think that the eighteen Reuzegommers who organized the conscious baptism got off easily with community service and a fine. The word ‘class justice’ often falls into that context. There has also been criticism from a political angle, including party chairmen Raoul Hedebouw (PVDA), Sammy Mahdi (CD&V) and Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR).