A Belgian court has imposed a one-year suspended prison sentence on a police officer who fired the shot that killed a two-year-old girl in a quick chase of suspected people smugglers.
The court in the southern Belgian city of Mons ruled that the officer’s account of an accidental shooting was credible, but also found that he had part of the responsibility for the death of the Kurdish child.
According to local media, the van’s driver was sentenced to four years in prison and another alleged smuggler was acquitted. The smugglers tried to reach Great Britain during the chase.
In May 2018, the police wanted to check a suspected van driving through Belgium and gave chase when the driver tried to avoid them. Police shot the van during the chase and punched Mawda Shawri in the head. She later died of her injuries.
Belgian authorities said pursuing officers fired at the car to stop it and did not intend to attack the people inside. The officer who took the shot said he was trying to puncture the vehicle’s left front tire and bring it to a stop. In total there were 30 people in the van, including Mawda’s brother and parents.
The officer said he fired his weapon after the van swung in the direction of the police car. The court said using a gun to pierce a tire was a disproportionate use of force that endangered the van’s passengers and other road users.
Mawda’s death has become a symbol for many Belgians of the injustice faced by migrants and refugees fleeing their homelands in search of a better life in Europe. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse on Friday to support Mawda’s family.
Earlier on Friday, the Belgian migration minister, Sammy Mahdi, told local broadcaster RTBF that Mawda’s parents had been given permission to stay in Belgium indefinitely and that they no longer need to renew a temporary residence permit annually.