Introduction
New government set up
On 4th February 2025, Belgium formed a new government after over seven months of negotiations, with Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever becoming the next prime minister. A coalition of five parties—the right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Francophone centre-right Reformist Movement (MR), the centrist Les Engagés, the Christian Democratic and Flemish Party (CD&V)), and the centre-left Vooruit—reached an agreement under pressure from King Philippe, who had threatened new elections if a deal was not made by the end of January. The so-called “Arizona-coalition”, led by prime minister De Wever, must tackle Belgium’s budget deficit and has announced big austerity plans.
De Wever’s N-VA, which advocates for greater autonomy for Flanders, has shifted its strategy towards "confederalism," where regions would gain more power while maintaining a minimal federal state. Meanwhile, political deadlock continues in Brussels, where the Francophone Socialist Party has opposed working with De Wever’s party, further complicating governance in the bilingual capital.
Council of Europe urges Belgium to solve prison issue
On 5th December 2024, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted an interim resolution urging Belgium to resolve the structural problem of prolonged detention of internees in prison psychiatric wings without adequate care. The Committee is concerned about the increasing number of people subject to psychiatric internment in prisons and the inadequate measures to solve the problem. This resolution follows a series of court judgements that began back in 2014 when the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the overcrowded prison system in Belgium is a structural problem that results in poor prison conditions which needs to be redressed, referring to poor hygienic conditions and absence of beds.
Several overseeing organisations, including the Central Prison Monitoring Council and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, have expressed concern about the situation and emphasised how overcrowding in Belgian prisons, in combination with understaffing and high absenteeism rates, results in poor conditions and breaches of prisoners’ fundamental rights.
Freedom of Assembly
Anti-government protests
On 6th January 2025, 30,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Brussels to protest against pension reforms proposed by the incoming federal government. During the coalition negotiations, plans were drawn up to restructure the pension system, prompting fears among trade unions and their members that the reforms would lead to lower pensions and a higher retirement age. The protest was largely led by the education sector, but strikes also affected Belgian railways, the postal service, Brussels Airport, and prisons. Several police officers were injured in an altercation with a group of protesting firefighters. Both the police and the fire department expressed regret over the incident and announced an investigation. No other altercations were reported.
On 13th February 2025, ten days after the formation of the new government, a national strike against their planned reforms took place. Around 60,000 protesters went to Brussels to protest against the new government's policies regarding pension reform, unemployment benefits and hospital funding. Clashes broke out in two locations after some protesters deviated from the planned route and threw objects at police, prompting officers to use tear gas to push them back. Seventeen people were arrested.
In February 2025, trade unions in the railway sector announced further strikes in the coming months against the pension reform plans and budget cuts in the sector.
Women's Day
On 8th March 2025, International Women’s Day, 10,000 women in Brussels and 2,500 in Ghent marched to warn against the deterioration of women’s rights and the rightward shift in society and politics. Protesters highlighted the impact of the new government’s proposed austerity measures on women, as the cuts would primarily affect interim and part-time jobs, which are disproportionately held by women. Demonstrators also criticised the political silence surrounding proposed amendments to abortion legislation, noting that while it was a key campaign issue, the government has since abandoned the debate.
Protest demanding permanent ceasefire in Gaza
Thousands of people demonstrated on 26th January 2025 in Brussels demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for Belgium and the European Union to impose sanctions on Israel. Demonstrators emphasised how the European Union is Israel's primary trade partner and thus demanded the EU “cease its commercial, economic, and strategic ties with the state until it ends the oppression of the Palestinian people and complies with international law.” The Brussels police estimated the turnout at 7,000, whereas the organisers of the protest claim there were 13,000 participants in attendance. There were no incidents reported.
Protests against restrictions on freedom of assembly
On 3rd October 2024, demonstrators gathered in front of the justice ministry in Brussels to protest against the ‘Van Quickenborne bill’, a bill permitting judges to ban rioters from participating in demonstrations for up to six years. Human rights organisations claim that the law encroaches upon the democratic right to protest and fear it will be applied to peaceful demonstrators. Joeri Thijs, a spokesperson for Greenpeace Belgium, stated that “taking away someone’s right to protest is a very fundamental thing to do in a democracy’’ while acknowledging that “we don’t like riots in protests.” Trade unions share his concern and fear that 'the scope of the law would be so broad as to allow the targeting and repression of demonstrators who do not commit any violence.’ The director of Amnesty International Belgium also pointed out that this law “might be extremely dangerous in the future, with another government.”
Brussels police estimated the protest at 7,000 attendees, while organisers reported a turnout of 10,000.
Freedom of Expression
Press organisation speaks out against legal actions against journalists
In October 2024, several journalistic organisations, including The International Press Institute and the Flemish Journalist Association (Vlaamse Vereniging van Journalisten), expressed their serious concerns about the emergence of preventive censorship of media by courts in Belgium.
In their press release, they call attention to a series of alarming rulings where Belgian courts have issued orders amounting to preventive censorship—an action explicitly prohibited by the Belgian Constitution. The most recent case occurred on 10th October 2024, when a court in Liège blocked the daily newspaper Le Soir from publishing an article concerning tax offences linked to Maxime Degey, a politician running for mayor in Verviers. The court argued that the report posed a serious threat to Degey's reputation and imposed a €50,000 fine for any violation of the order.
Earlier, in September 2024, a Brussels court considered preemptively censoring an RTBF investigation into alleged illegal practices by bailiffs. The bailiff company Leroy sought to have its name removed before the broadcast, citing unfair commercial practices. Though the court ultimately ruled there was insufficient evidence to justify the claim, media advocates warn that even entertaining such requests sets a dangerous precedent, allowing commercial law to be misused to silence critical reporting.
Another ongoing legal battle involves Belgium’s Interior Minister, who is attempting to force the Sudmedia group to delete five articles on the Qatargate corruption scandal and prevent future reporting on the topic.
The press freedom organisations, partners to the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), are calling on Belgian authorities to uphold constitutional protections for journalists. The group warns that these legal actions not only violate national and European press freedom laws but also pose a grave risk to democracy by restricting public access to information. Belgium's constitution explicitly bans censorship, stating, “The press is free; censorship can never be imposed.” However, recent cases suggest that judicial loopholes are being exploited to suppress critical journalism. The MFRR has pledged to closely monitor the situation to prevent further attacks on media freedom.
Journalists harassed for speaking French
On 13th October 2024, three French-speaking journalists, Thi Diêm Ǫuach and Radouane El Baroudi from RTBF, and Christophe Deborsu from RTL, were harassed while covering the far-right Forza Ninove party’s victory in the municipal elections for Ninove, a Flemish municipality. According to the journalists, as they reported from the party’s victory event, they faced continuous insults, physical aggression, and threats for speaking French. The escalating hostility forced them to request a police escort out of the building.
Smear campaign against Flemish media
A couple of days after the above incident, on 16th October 2024, a smear campaign on Facebook was initiated by far-right political party Vlaams Belang against the Flemish media. Vlaams Belang accused Flemish media of spreading misinformation about suspected electoral fraud in Ninove, where Forza Ninove, the local branch of Vlaams Belang, won the majority.
Journalists covering environmental protest detained
Two journalists from the French media outlet Engrainage were arbitrarily detained by Belgian police for nine hours while covering an environmental protest in Antwerp on 26th October 2024. Aurèle Castellane and Ilona Jelic were arrested after reporting on a civil disobedience action by the group Code Rouge, which was blocking the Noordkasteel bridge to protest against TotalEnergies' fossil fuel investments. Although the journalists had previously been cleared to leave by police, they were later searched, detained, and placed in individual cells without explanation. Their professional equipment was also confiscated. Belgian authorities justified the detention, claiming the journalists had moved outside a designated media zone, citing the Law on the Function of the Police. However, media watchdogs, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), condemned the arrest as an obstruction of press freedom.
Journalist sued over coverage of former mayor’s alleged misconduct
In February 2025, the city of Andenne confirmed it would take legal action against Wilfried magazine and journalist Mélanie De Groote over an article alleging misconduct by former mayor Claude Eerdekens. The article, published in Wilfried in October 2024, detailed accusations of moral and sexual harassment against Eerdekens, who led the town for over 50 years. The decision to lodge the lawsuit was initially approved by the municipal council in October, days after local elections, but was overturned in January 2025 by Walloon Minister of Local Authorities François Desquesnes, who argued the newly elected council should decide. On 17th February 2025, the council reaffirmed its decision behind closed doors, with the ruling Socialist-Republican majority prevailing over opposition members.
Press freedom groups, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), condemned the move, urging the city to drop the case and not use public resources to defend Eerdekens’ private interests. The lawsuit follows another controversy in which Andenne cut subsidies to a local TV station after it aired a critical report on the former mayor. Critics warn these actions signal growing hostility toward independent journalism in the region.
Court overturns journalist’s conviction for violating data protection rules
In a landmark ruling for press freedom, the Antwerp Court of Appeal on 12th March 2025 overturned the conviction of Belgian journalist Dirk Selis, who had been found guilty in 2024 of unlawfully processing personal data in his investigation into former mayor Veerle Heeren’s early COVID-19 vaccination.
Selis, who first exposed the scandal in 2021 for the local news site Tudocs, faced legal action after revealing that Heeren and her associates had received priority access to coronavirus vaccines. The former mayor accused him of violating her privacy when he shared a screenshot of leaked information with a pharmacist for fact-checking. In June 2024, the Hasselt Criminal Court sentenced Selis to a suspended €2,000 fine, ruling that he should have anonymised Heeren’s name while verifying details.
However, on appeal, the Antwerp Court of Appeal ruled that Selis had acted with a legitimate journalistic purpose and that his methods were proportionate and necessary for public interest reporting. The ruling was hailed as a crucial precedent for press freedom. Charlotte Michils, secretary general of the Flemish Association of Journalists (VVJ), emphasised that the decision reinforces journalists' ability to verify information without fear of legal intimidation.