Mail between the Werkgroep Morkhoven and the justice commission of the Dutch first chamber

Marcel Vervloesem, the activist of the Werkgroep Morkhoven who has revealed the child pornography case Zandvoort, whom the Higher Counsel of Justice , confirmed robbery of discharging evidences* of a set-up criminal dossier was sentenced to four years prison, must appear tomorrow on the disciplinary commission of the Bruges prison.

He must answer of having started and euthanasia procedure and taking off his insulin pump as a protest against the tampering of his medical file and the endless series of disciplinary measures he was imposed these past months.

Last week Marcel Vervloesem has once again been locked up round the clock in an isolation cell without medical supervision. He had no contact, no television and no form of entertainment, whereas doctor Proot (head doctor of the prison) had told him that "it did not act of a disciplinary measure" and promised him that he could leave this cell regularly, among other things for the walk with the prisoners.

The transfer is entirely unjustifiable, probably happened at the request of doctor Van Mol, head doctor of Penitentiary health service, who is under the authority of the minister of justice Stefaan De Clerck and holds personal consultations with the minister. Marcel Vervloesem suffers from cancer and heavy form of diabetes, his kidneys only work at 60%, he had to be hospitalised five times in emergency and undergo several surgeries in emergency, Doctor Proot gave him eight chances of heart infarction, so real that he has, in two weeks, to undergo two successive open-heart operations. Marcel had several blood transfusions, depended on a heart machine, had needed a kidney dialysis for several weeks, and had an infected wound in his left groin already for weeks, and recently needs an insulin pump.

The Werkgroep Morkhoven complained some weeks ago, that Marcel Vervloesem was chained during a recent emergency hospitalisation at the Hospital St John of Bruges, to the operation table. "Something like that does not happen", said Van Mol in 2002, in the case of another prisoner who had the same treatment.

The Werkgroep Morkhoven also complained of the number of facts in a few weeks, modified in the medical report of Dr Van Mol, made for the service of the individual cases, who must decide of the releases on parole on the basis of health. A lot medical information on Marcel Vervloesem was distorted or was incorrectly reflected. Important information on his medical condition was omitted (such as the heart surgeries he has to undergo and his cancer) and the report even pretends that Marcel Vervloesem is a smoker, whereas he has never smoked.

Further more, Advocate Raf Jespers, the lawyer of Marcel Vervloesem, was informed it took extra months because the medical reports were sent "by mistake" to another prison. Finally the Werkgroep Morkhoven doubts that the overpopulation in the Belgian prisons may be solved by letting die in prison the prisoners in nearly terminal stage.

The disciplinary commission will not decide, however, that Marcel Vervloesem will be day and night, naked with hands and feet shackled to a bed, in an underground cell of the prison of Bruges (normal punishment). The disciplinary commission will probably grasp the opportunity just to isolate Marcel Vervloesem entirely from the outside world, which can cause, due to his current medical condition, his death. This way, they probably hope to cover-up the scandals and the euthanasia procedure that Marcel Vervloesem wanted to starts on February 2, 2009 and around which there was a lot media attention.

The minister of Justice De Clerck was advised of the situation by both the Work Morkhoven and by the lawyer of Marcel Vervloesem, but has not reacted so far. Too many detainees of the Bruges prison mysteriously die, in lack of medical care and medication. The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom, which prohibit humiliating treatment and tortures, is broken daily.

No account is taken of the new tribunals of the sentence implementation, or of the law Dupont which fixes the rights of the prisoners and provides Commissions to supervise the application of the law. The Belgian league for human rights and UN committee against tortures have just shown the tortures in the Belgian prisons and called the Belgian government to set up urgently a national body to control the prisons, though that control is provided but the law Dupont, but it is not done.

Jan Boeykens
President Werkgroep Morkhoven vzw/asbl

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CHILDPORN CASE ZANDVOORT

Marcel Vervloesem's murder

Mail between the Werkgroep Morkhoven and the justice commission of the Dutch first chamber

WERKGROEP MORKHOVEN COMMUNIQUE: 21 January 2009

The sanctions were one month prohibition:

These sanctions where waved by the Council of the State after one week.