(Reuters) A Belgian appeal court on Tuesday upheld a ruling dismissing a European arrest warrant issued for a French-born Moroccan imam that Paris wants to deport over alleged hateful remarks.
France’s interior ministry sought in July to deport the preacher, Hassan Iquioussen, for “inciting hate, discrimination and violence,” notably against women and the Jewish community. Iquioussen later left for Belgium.
“The facts on which this arrest warrant is based do not constitute an offence under Belgian law,” a spokesperson for the Mons appeal court said. “It is not valid, so we will not execute it.”
The Mons court upheld a ruling by a lower Belgian court that dismissed the warrant, which was issued by French authorities who planned to deport him to Morocco.
