ASSEDEL (European Association for the Defence of Rights and Freedoms) is pleased to announce the official submission of its stakeholder report to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Belgium, scheduled for review during the 52nd session of the UPR Working Group in May 2026.
As part of the Fourth Cycle of the UPR, our report focuses on critical civil and political rights concerns in Belgium, with particular attention to the administration of justice, conditions of detention, and the protection of vulnerable groups.
The report highlights systemic issues such as the lack of transparency in automated judicial decision-making, the continued detention of mentally ill offenders in inadequate prison conditions, and overcrowding in Belgian prisons, which has led to repeated findings of degrading treatment. It also examines digital exclusion from justice processes, particularly for incarcerated persons, and Belgium’s recurring failure to implement interim measures ordered by the European Court of Human Rights in asylum and detention-related cases. Together, these concerns reflect serious challenges to fair trial rights, access to justice, and compliance with international legal obligations.
To read our full report, please click here.