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Face-Mask banned

01 January 1995

The Belgian Junior Minister Schmitz, of the Justice Department, has banned the use of face masks to restrain deportees. The face mask was developed on the order of former Minister Kosto, following an incident in which a Romanian refugee, Mr Rudaru was severely handicapped after having his mouth taped up to stop him from protesting too much about his imminent deportation. The mask was designed to completely enclose the head with air holes to allow the person being restrained to breath.

The ban came about not for moral reasons but because the face masks were not effective. Tests showed that whilst preventing the person being restrained from spitting and biting, masks failed to prevent people from making any noise. This meant airline companies would refuse to carry deportees on the grounds that they could become a nuisance to other passengers.

Minister Schmitz has not yet ruled out the possibility that a more advanced form of face mask being introduced. The government has however been forced to ban both the use of tape and drugs following the ruling of a committee of enquiry that was set up following the Rudaro incident. Spokespeople from the major parliamentary parties have expressed their desire for a solution because otherwise "bad behaviour might be rewarded".