Kuwait city: The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office announced on Monday that two Israeli nationals were questioned by local police regarding allegations of war crimes during their attendance at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, located in Belgium's Antwerp province.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office issued a statement explaining that the investigation was initiated after receiving complaints about the participation of two Israeli occupation soldiers. These individuals are suspected of being part of the Israeli army's Givati Brigade and allegedly displayed their unit's flag during the festival.
The complaints accuse the soldiers of committing war crimes and acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip, including deliberate targeting of civilian areas, torture, and forced displacement of civilians. The prosecutor's office stated that, after an initial review, there was sufficient basis to claim jurisdiction under Article 14/10 of the Belgian Code of Criminal Procedure, effective from April 28, 2024.
This legal provision allows Belgian courts to exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction over crimes committed abroad, particularly those covered by international treaties such as the 1949 Geneva Conventions on war crimes and the 1984 United Nations Convention Against Torture.
The Israeli soldiers were released following preliminary investigations, with no further actions taken at this point. This development comes after an urgent legal complaint was filed by the Palestinian Hind Rajab Foundation, in collaboration with the Global Legal Action Network, earlier in the week.
The Palestinian foundation described this action as "an important precedent in activating international jurisdiction to pursue those involved in war crimes" and as indicative of "a growing commitment by European judicial authorities to hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their nationality or military rank."