Belgian police officer faces involuntary manslaughter for death of 2-year-old Kurdish girl

The police officer who fatally shot a 2-year-old Kurdish girl during a car chase two years ago now faces prosecution by a criminal court for involuntary manslaughter.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The police officer who fatally shot a 2-year-old Kurdish girl during a car chase two years ago now faces prosecution by a criminal court for involuntary manslaughter, the Brussels Times reported on Wednesday.

On May 17, 2018, Mawda Shamdin, 2, died after police shot at a van they were pursuing that was carrying about 30 migrants near the city of Mons in southern Belgium. The pursuit started because police suspected the van was being used by people smugglers.

Speaking to Kurdistan 24 two years ago, Mawda’s parents, who had migrated from the city of Raniya in the Kurdistan Region, accused the Belgian police of being responsible for their daughter’s death.

Related Article: Belgian PM meets parents of Kurdish child killed by police

Following the incident, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Representation for the European Union promised to pursue the case and provide support for Mawda’s family in coordination with the Belgian government.

Delavar Ajgeiy, the KRG Representative to the EU, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday that the KRG mission “has followed the case very carefully and has been in contact with the relevant authorities in Belgium.”

“We welcome the decision made by the prosecutor,” Ajgeiy added. “We believe it is the right way to guarantee the right of the family and eventually the other refugees.”

The police officer was charged in December 2019, following a lengthy investigation into the circumstances leading to the child’s death, which caused outrage and widespread media attention.

The council chamber in Bergen decided last week that the officer who fired the shot would have to answer for involuntary manslaughter.

VRT channel reported that the council had rejected a demand by Mawda’s parents to have the officer face a more serious charge for murder.

The officer could face up to five years in prison.

The suspected driver of the vehicle and accused smuggler also face charges.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany