Belgium clears path to deport Fouad Belkacem to Morocco after prison term
Fouad Belkacem’s asylum application has been rejected. Belgian authorities have denied the former head of Sharia4Belgium international protection and see no obstacle to his return to Morocco after his prison sentence, which is due to end in 2027.
The Minister of Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, announced the decision on Friday, 2 October. The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA) informed Belkacem that his application had been rejected, reports ->Belga, citing a Belga news agency dispatch.
On Bladi.net : Fouad Belkacem seeks asylum in Belgium to avoid possible deportation to Morocco
Still in prison, Belkacem had applied for asylum so he could remain in Belgium after his release. Born in the country, married to a Belgian woman and the father of three children, he holds only Moroccan nationality since the Antwerp Court of Appeal stripped him of his Belgian nationality in 2018.
The CGRA’s refusal advances the government’s plan to deport him. Belkacem can, however, challenge the decision before the Council for Alien Law Litigation. His removal is therefore not yet final.
The asylum application, made public on 30 September, immediately drew a hostile reaction from the minister. Anneleen Van Bossuyt now describes its rejection as an important first step and says she intends to continue efforts to have him sent to Morocco.
Nationality revoked in 2018
The case dates back to his 2015 conviction. Fouad Belkacem was sentenced to twelve years in prison for leading Sharia4Belgium, a terrorist organization that recruited and indoctrinated young people in Belgium to send them to fight in Syria.
Three years later, the Antwerp Court of Appeal stripped him of his Belgian nationality. The judges considered that he had seriously failed to meet his obligations as a citizen, reports RTL. His Moroccan nationality then put the question of his return to the kingdom at the center of the case.
At the time, his lawyer announced that she intended to use the available legal avenues to prevent his expulsion. The application for international protection was a new step as the end of his detention approached.
The CGRA has now rejected the application and issued a favorable opinion on his return to Morocco. Anneleen Van Bossuyt says efforts must continue to ensure that Belkacem leaves Belgium when he is released from prison.
