Population Of Belgium

The Belgian Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The House of Representatives has 150 directly elected members. The Senate has 71 elected members. The executive branch of the government consists of ministers and secretaries of state (junior ministers) drawn from the political parties that form the government coalition. The number of ministers is limited to 15, and they have no seat in Parliament. The Council of Ministers is chaired by the Prime Minister and consists of the ministerial heads of the executive departments. ... [Read More]

Belgium

There is an ongoing dialogue between Embassy officials and the Ministry of Justice at the cabinet level regarding the effects of the recommendations of the (never voted-upon) 1997 parliamentary report on sectarian organizations. Embassy officials raised religious freedom issues at various levels. For example, the Embassy raised concerns of the Church of Scientology with the Federal Prosecutor's office. As part of ongoing efforts to find a permanent solution for Mormon, Assemblies of God, and other religious volunteers who have faced difficulties obtaining visas and residence permits for missionary or other volunteer religious work, Embassy officials sought written clarification from the Minister of Labor regarding the requirement for volunteers to obtain work permits. Communications between the Ministry of Labor and the Embassy on this issue were continuing at the end of the period covered by this report. ... [Read More]

Report on Global Anti-Semitism

January 5, 2005 Executive Summary I.  Anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism has plagued the world for centuries. Taken to its most far-reaching and violent extreme, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews and the suffering of countless others. Subtler, less vile forms of anti-Semitism have disrupted lives, decimated religious communities, created social and political cleavages, and complicated relations between countries as well as the work of international organizations. For an increasingly interdependent world, anti-Semitism is an intolerable burden. The increasing frequency and severity of anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the 21st century, particularly in Europe, has compelled the international com ... [Read More]

Belgium

The Government applies the following five criteria in deciding whether or not to grant recognition to a religious group: 1) the religion must have a structure or hierarchy; 2) the group must have a sufficient number of members; 3) the religion must have existed in the country for a long period of time; 4) it must offer a social value to the public; and 5) the religion must abide by the laws of the State and respect public order. The five criteria are not listed in decrees or laws. The law does not further define "sufficient," "a long period of time," or "social value." A religious group seeking official recognition applies to the Ministry of Justice, which then conducts a thorough review before recommending approval or rejection. Final approval of recognized status is the sole responsibility of the Parliament but in practice the Parliament generally accepts the decision of the Ministry of Justice. A group whose application is refused by the Ministry of Justice may appeal the decision t ... [Read More]

2001
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2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belgium

The criminal judicial system is composed of civil and criminal courts and their respective courts of appeal. The Courts of First Instance (district courts) are responsible for civil and commercial litigation for matters that exceed the jurisdiction of a justice of the peace. There are five appeal courts and one Supreme Court of Appeal. The latter verifies that the law has been correctly applied and that no procedural errors have been committed. When the Supreme Court overturns a ruling, the case is referred to one of the appeals courts to reexamine the facts. The criminal courts consist of the magistrate's court, correctional courts, and the criminal chambers of the court of appeal. Each province has a Court of Assize, with a public jury judging the cases. These courts have jurisdiction over all the most serious crimes and political crimes. The Courts of Assize are courts of first and last instance and their rulings cannot be appealed. ... [Read More]

Belgium

The criminal judicial system consists of: Procedural courts that rule on the admissibility of evidence and matters pertaining to the conduct of an investigation; District courts that conduct trials for minor to moderate criminal offenses; the Assize Court and the Court of Appeal that conduct trials for the most serious criminal offenses committed within their geographic regions; and the Supreme Court of Appeals that hears appeals of Court of Appeal decisions. The Supreme Court of Appeal can uphold a verdict of the Court of Appeal, but it cannot actually overturn one. It may, however, return the case to be tried anew by a different Appeal Court if it finds fault with the first court's application of the law or procedures. The decisions of the Supreme Court of Appeals cannot be appealed. ... [Read More]

Mauritania (03/05)

French colonization at the beginning of the 20th century brought legal prohibitions against slavery and an end to interclan warfare. During the colonial period, the population remained nomadic, but sedentary black Africans, whose ancestors had been expelled centuries earlier by the Moors, began to trickle back into southern Mauritania. As the country gained independence in 1960, the capital city Nouakchott was founded at the site of a small colonial village, the Ksar, and 90% of the population was still nomadic. With independence, larger numbers of ethnic Sub-Saharan Africans (Haalpulaar, Soninke, and Wolof) entered Mauritania, moving into the area north of the Senegal River. Educated in French language and customs, many of these recent arrivals became clerks, soldiers, and administrators in the new state. ... [Read More]

2005

1111--06/23/05   United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture; Arthur E. Dewey , Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration; Remarks to Center for Victims of Torture ; Washington, DC ... [Read More]

Remarks

1111--06/23/05   United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture; Arthur E. Dewey , Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration; Remarks to Center for Victims of Torture ; Washington, DC ...

1111--04/19/05   A Forgotten Human Rights Crisis: Statelessness; Scott Busby, Director, Office of Policy and Resource Planning, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; Remarks to a Congressional Human Rights Caucus Members' Briefing; Washington, DC ... [Read More]