A Dutch judge has ruled that 8 suspected drug dealers can not be extradited to Belgium, because the conditions in the Belgian prisons are "inhumane and humiliating".
With the verdict, all further requests for extradition to Belgium are suspended.
Last may, 17 people were arrested during a joint operation of Dutch and Belgian police. They are suspected of membership of a criminal organisation that smuggles drugs from South America to Europe on a large scale, using the port of Antwerp, amongst other ports.
The Flemish court had asked for the extradition of 8 of the suspects. Usually, that's just a formality between EU members, but now, the Dutch judge did not allow it.
The reason for the verdict is the report by the CPT committee, the EU organisation for the prevention of torture, that was published two weeks ago.
The CPT calls the conditions in the Belgian prisons 'the worst we have seen in the EU in 27 years'.
For years now, Belgian prisons are suffering from overpopulation, outdated infrastructure, and lack of staff.
In some prisons, prisoners are packed with 3 people in a single person cell, with mouldy walls, no toilet, and no running water.
Frequent guard strikes make matters worse. When the guards are on strike, there isn't enough staff to allow the prisoners outdoor time, showers, telephone calls or family visits.
In may 2016, during one of these strikes, a Dutch judge already forbade the extradition of prisoners to Belgium. This measure was cancelled a month later, when the strike had ended.
The difference now is that the CPT, and the Dutch judge, rule that the situation in Belgian prisons is inhumane and humiliating even without strikes.
The International Chamber for Legal Assistance is now investigating if 'prisoners in Belgian prisons in general are at risk of being subjected to inhumane or humiliating treatment'.