Article

2004-02-29

Day in court for âmost hated manâ (in Belgium)

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Posted by .com 2004-02-29 10:47:34 AM|| || Front Page|| [11133 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Wonder how many Belgians would favor transfer of jurisdiction to Texas?:)
Conspiracy theories aside, why did it take so long to bring Dutroux to trail?

Posted by GK 2004-2-29 10:57:09 AM|| 2004-2-29 10:57:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Trial not trail.

Posted by GK 2004-2-29 10:58:01 AM|| 2004-2-29 10:58:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 He'll go free do to technicalities in the judges bank account.

Posted by Charles 2004-2-29 11:10:44 AM|| 2004-2-29 11:10:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Charles, I've actually joked that about Ruth Baden Ginsberg ... yes, go ahead and take that as my position on why she consistently votes liberal ...

Posted by Lu Baihu 2004-2-29 12:12:28 PM|| [http://edwardyee.fanworks.net] 2004-2-29 12:12:28 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 GK

European judicial systems (except for the UK) are slooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. However the funny thing is not how much time it has taken to bring him to trial. Let's review a few. He has been sentenced to thirteen years for sexual assault (and this was not the first time), however a mere judge voided the verdict of a jury by releasing him after three years. Allegedly fotr good behaviour. Apparently the judge didn't asked himself if good behaviour while in jail (ie Dutroux didn't attack guards and ate his soup like a good boy really meant he was no longer dangerous. Once released the parole people didn't find funny that a guy supposed nearly peniless and on welfare had several cars (the money he made from his child porn business). There were also some strange neare misses like when the Belgian gendarmerie (no relation with the French one, the later is supposed incorruptible :-)))) searched his house and failed to find the place where two girls were locked. I even think to remember that the girls called for help but allegedly Dutroux successfully conned the gendarmes.

Now the nice thing is that there are people in Europe who are not only against death penalty but also against perptual jail. Meaning that after N years Dutoux would be released to prey on other child.

Posted by JFM 2004-2-29 12:27:42 PM|| 2004-2-29 12:27:42 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Thanks, JFM. And Belgian sees itself as the arbiter of international justice?

Posted by GK 2004-2-29 1:24:57 PM|| 2004-2-29 1:24:57 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm not much for public lynchings but there's always an exception...

Posted by Hiryu 2004-2-29 2:28:49 PM|| 2004-2-29 2:28:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 There appears to be strong support for death penalty in England also-at any rate polls show higher support for death penalty in England than in US.However,European elites are strongly opposed to death penalty and will never enact it.

Posted by Stephen 2004-2-29 3:40:31 PM|| 2004-2-29 3:40:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 The European masses are generally in favor of the death penalty. However, the elites have consistently voted to ban the supreme measure in their parliaments. I once read an article by some European MP talking about he was glad that he and his fellow legislators voted their consciences rather than the will of their constituents on this matter. It was really a very patronizing article, at least from my very Jacksonian, American viewpoint. I guess that the opinions of all those guys who get forced into trade school at 13 years of age don't count for much.

Posted by 11A5S 2004-2-29 4:43:35 PM|| 2004-2-29 4:43:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 The problem of death penalty is that the people sho support it use the wrong reasons: they advocate it as a punishment and this makes easy for the opponents to repel it as barbarous.

They should use the argument that at times it is needed in order to protect the innocents. Let's imagine Marc Dutroux lived in Portugal. There is no permanent jail in Portugal. Maximum penalty is thirty years. Meaning that Marc Dutroux would be out after thirty years, or even less if he has eaten his soup when ordered and a judge releases him before term. And even after thirty years Marc Dutroux will be strong enough to rape and kill children. In France things are not as bad, we have real perpetuity but a judge can release him
provided the uncompressible penalty (from 18 to 30 years) provided by the sentence has been fulfilled

If you are in one of those US states where there is perpetuity without possibility of parole then you don't need to kill Marc Dutroux. However what about a terrorist who indoctrinates his cellmates who later perpetrate further crimes? Either you kill him, either you are ready to keep him incomunicated for the rest of his life or the blood shed by the people he indoctrinated will be in YOUR hands.

And then there is the problem of people who are symbols. An example is Saddam. As long as he is alive he will be a danger for Iraq, as long as he is alive there will be terrorism and murders aiming to free him and restore him (and the people of the Sunni triangle) to power. Meaning that merely keeping him incommunicated is not enough.

Posted by JFM 2004-2-29 5:28:10 PM|| 2004-2-29 5:28:10 PM|| Front Page Top

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