Upon invitation of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, a group of academics from Ghent University and Utrecht University—including MINOS members Tom Ruys, Cedric Ryngaert and Peter Van Elsuwege, alongside Thomas Verellen—prepared a short advice (in Dutch) on the pending legislative proposal to introduce a Belgian (‘Magnitsky-style’) sanctions regime for serious human rights violations (Doc 56 1283/001).

While welcoming the initiative as a useful complement to the existing EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EUGHRSR), the advice identifies several issues that merit particular attention, including the interaction between the proposed Belgian regime and the EUGHRSR, the scope of the legislative proposal, and the need for appropriate carve-outs and procedural safeguards.