There is a lot of false information in the Belgian press about the Belgian 'Werkgroep Morkhoven'that was figthing several networks of childporno. We made a summery.
The Morkhoven Group (Werkgroep Morkhoven) started its fight against child porn networks in 1989.
In that year they discovered unacceptable situations at an Antwerp children's clinic. It appeared indeed that children were locked up, sometimes for several months, in isolation cells that weren't heated and were illuminated with an intense light. The children were beaten and kicked and some were apparently sexually abused.
The Group was soon forbidden by the authorities to distribute any more pamphlets, which is contrary to the basic right of free speach. Group members were intimidated and interrogated by the police. House searches took place at the homes of several members. Some of them were ordered by the judicial authorities of Turnhout (the judicial district to which the village of Morkhoven, that gave the Group its name, belongs) to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
A certain press seemed to enjoy discrediting the Group. A Flemish Belgian newspaper, the "Gazet van Antwerpen" reported in 1989 that certain Group members were child abusers themselves.
An "independant" commission was appointed to investigate the situation at the children's clinic, but they reported that there were no indications of any wrongdoing. Some members of the commission however had links with the clinic. Finally Marcel Vervloesem and a few members of the Group were invited by the Flemish Minister of Health, Hugo Weckx to discuss the problem. The minister admitted that there were serious problems at the clinic. He subsequently ordered the publication of strict regulations for the isolation of children. These regulations became mandatory for all Flemish clinics.
But the situation didn't improve, mainly due to the lack of control by the authorities. Consequently the Morkhoven Group resumed its actions at the clinic in 1995. Immediately criminal charges were pressed against the Group, that were later dropped. It appeared from the judicial files that the children weren't just kicked and beaten, but that a five-year-old had died in strange circumstances in an isolation cell, and that its death had never been investigated.
The Group then found out that a number of children from the clinic had ended up in the child porn business. This investigation led to the discovery of the so-called "Temse" child porn network, whose members have been convicted in the meantime. The elements that the Group had provided had been proven correct.
The Temse network led the researchers from the Group to the "Zandvoort" network (Zandvoort is a town in The Netherlands) that had links with France, Germany and Portugal.
In June 1998 Vervloesem and his people received the so-called "Zandvoort CDROM" from Gerry Ulrich, the leader of the network. Ulrich was murdered shortly afterwards. Vervloesem reluctantly handed the CDROM over to the judicial authorities of Turnhout because he was threatened with prosecution for the possession of child pornography. This incident received wide media attention and put the Morkhoven Group on the map, but nothing seemed to be done by Turnhout to identify the victims or prosecute the abusers, in spite of the fact that they could easily be recognised.
Because he suspected Turnhout of a cover up Vervloesem handed 18 other CDROMs containing child pornography over to prosecutor Bourlet from the judicial district of Neufchateau in March 2001. Prosecutor Bourlet handles the Dutroux case and has the reputation to be a very motivated and honest man. But Bourlet's boss, the Liege Prosecutor-General Anne Thilly, immediately sent the CDROMs back to Turnhout. When an attorney inquired recently about the CDROMs, Turnhout answered that the investigation was still ongoing and that no access to the file could be granted. After so many years!
It appears that the investigation will be stopped because the pictures are too old. Is it because a French magistrate has been discovered on them?
(http://groups.msn.com/werkgroepmorkhoven)
(http://www.morkhoven.org)
