Hi there,

The job of a journalist is to go to where the silence is — especially when those in power seek to silence voices that question or challenge power. That is what we do at Democracy Now! day in and day out, and we're able to do it because of financial support from people like you — people who trust and depend on our independent reporting. If you believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential to the functioning of a democratic society, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

BELGIAN PEACEKEEPERS

Listen
Media Options
Listen

A Belgium military court this week acquitted two Belgian peacekeepers accused of torturing a Somali boy in 1993, saying the soldiers were just playing a game.

The soldiers were photographed by a Belgian newspaper stretching the boy over an open fire. And Monday they were acquitted of engaging in torture, assault and battery and threatening behavior. The soldiers were among the UN peacekeepers from 21 countries sent to Somalia in Operation Restore Hope. The Belgium scandal comes in the wake of similar allegations against Canadian and Italian forces.

Guests:
• Peter Oppen, a journalist with Belgium’s leading daily called Het Laatste Nieuws (The Latest News). He first broke the story on the allegations of Belgian soldiers torturing and assaulting Somalis.
• Alex De Waal, of Africa Rights, a human rights group based in London, England.

Related Story

StoryMay 16, 2025“They Want to Silence Me”: Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi on ICE Jail, Palestine, Activism, Buddhism
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top