(Reuters) Nine men accused of participating in the 2016 Brussels bombings that killed 32 people cannot be put on trial in glass boxes their lawyers have likened to animal cages, a judge ruled on Friday.
The special court for one of Belgium’s largest trials features a series of individual glass compartments into which nine of the accused were placed on the opening day on Monday.
Presiding judge Laurence Massart ordered that an alternative be found, such as a larger space with clear openings for lawyers to speak to defendants and that this work be complete by Oct. 10.
That is the date set for jury selection with the trial proper to begin on Oct. 13 and expected to last six to eight months.
