Yasmina El Kaddouri

Senior Associate for Criminal Justice and Human Rights 

Yasmina El Kaddouri is driven by her passion for justice and her belief that everyone has the right to defence. Under the watchful eye of Walter van Steenbrugge and Johan Heymans, she aspires to a career as a criminal lawyer and advocate for human rights.

Yasmina obtained a master’s degree in law from Ghent University in 2017 (summa cum laude). She then graduated as valedictorian from the Ghent LL.M programme in European and international law in 2018. During her studies, she and her team mates represented Ghent University in the Inter-American Moot Court Competition (2017) in Washington and in the European Moot Court Competition (2018) in Switzerland. She completed internships at FPS Foreign Affairs in the European Law department and at FPS Justice in the Human Rights department.

With her broad interest in law and keen fighting spirit, Yasmina decided in October 2018 to join the Van Steenbrugge Advocaten team. She mainly focuses on criminal law and procedure and human rights, in the hope that by doing so she can do her part in building a more humane and just society.

Degrees and qualifications

Master of Laws, Ghent University, 2017
LL.M in International and European Law, Ghent University, 2017-2018
Postgraduate degree in Forensic Science, Erasmushogeschool Brussels, 2021-2022 

Internships

VS Attorneys

Experience

Registered at the Ghent Bar since October 2018
Founder of fact check page @whatthefactbelgium (https://www.instagram.com/whatthefactbelgium/)

Specialisations

Legal advice for perpetrators and victims of crime
General and specialised criminal law
Human rights
Capital offences
European law

legal contributions

“The kafala in the Belgian legal order. Does the Child Protection Convention open new perspectives?”, TJK 2016, ep. 4, 343-351.
“Public order and national security in the Belgian Aliens Act: Individual rights theoretical and illusory?”, Magazine for Immigration Law 2018, ep. 4, 302-317.

Opinion & blog

Pour que l'Europe lutte efficacement contre les "fake news"
Fake new: finally time for a firm European response? 
Contact research, an invasion of your privacy?
'It is time to once again push our boundaries for human rights' (VRT)
'No, the doors of Belgian prisons are not wide open' (Knack)
'These eight misconceptions about the UN migration pact must be eradicated' (Knack)
'Lawyers are taking to Instagram to fight lies from politicians' (De Morgen)

Languages

Dutch, French, English, Berber (passive knowledge)

Contact

0032 (0)9 269 10 69
yasmina.elkaddouri@vsadvocaten.be
legal assistant: Charlotte Riebbels, charlotte.riebbels@vsadvocaten.be0032 (0)9 269 10 64