Daniel Féret

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Daniel Féret (born August 7, 1944) is a Belgian politician and leader of the National Front party. He is currently member of the Brussels Regional Parliament, and was a Member of the European Parliament in its 4th parliamentary term.

Féret studied medicine in Lille and Brussels. His license for practising medicine was suspended, though, in 1995 by the Belgian Medical Association.

[edit] Trial

Daniel Féret is being prosecuted in relationship to Belgian law of 1981 that seeks to repress certain acts inspired by racism and xenophobia.

On July, 2002, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives voted to remove the immunity of Daniel Féret and allowed for a summons against Féret by prosecutors in Brussels, with the CD&V, N-VA and the Vlaams Blok voting against. Tony Van Parys, a former justice minister for the CD&V, in response asked himself what possibility there still would be for political publications with regard to the problems of society when the law is interpreted by the prosecutor solely (De Standaard, July 22, 2002).

On June 23, 2004, public prosecutor Jean-Francois Godbille sought to institute a 2-year sentence against Féret at the Brussels court of appeals. Féret lawyers responded that their client was immune from prosecution, because Féret recently became a member of the Brussels Parliament. Later in 2005 this was claim was reduced to 1 year.

Daniel Féret was sentenced to 240 hours of community service on April 18, 2006, because of the incitement of hate, discrimination and segregation in the party's flyers and website. He is also barred from running for political office for 10 years. This sentence was later upheld in September 2006.