BELGIUM: First actions of Mr. Vervloesem NGO in 1988 in favour of children in danger, were struck by a prohibition to distribute pamphlets in Antwerp. Since, he was condemned to an effective prohibition of contacts with the press during two years, before the court of appeal freed him, but he remains prohibited of visit from journalists. He spent one week in an isolation regime as a sanction for the refusal of NGO to censor their internet websites. A tribunal has refused him an electronic bracelet, with the reason of "criticism on justice" on the website DROIT FONDAMENTAL, which thus must prohibit him to treat his cancer as from the floor below the "scene of the crime". The ministry of justice refuses him penitentiary vacation at the home of the author of these articles, for the same reasons.

Marcel Vervloesem's inhuman treatments in prison (synthesis)

Publié le 19 juillet 2009

On September 5, 2008, Mr. Vervloesem arrived at the prison of Turnhout, for his first transfer ordered by the State. He begins a hunger strike and thirst, which in general, leaves only a few days of survival. Answer: Promise of electronic bracelet in May 2009, thus when he is expected to be dead. 171 electronic bracelets will be distributed between January 29 and May 27, 2009, of which to neofascists who did not spend a night in prison, but Mr. Vervloesem, presumed innocent, will not have any, in dispite his cancer that requests treatment.

On September 9, 2008, the ministry of justice intervenes of Brussels to prohibit the hospitalization prescribed by the doctor and orders his transfer n°2 to the medical block 61 of the prison of Bruges, which is a sanction in itself that prohibited from walks. He is imprisoned in a medical isolation cell with closed window and noisy ventilator. He has access only to stinking water, probably coming from a tank which escapes controls from hygiene. He stops the thirst strike, but continues the fast, pending the visit of his fellow-members.

The sanctions imposed as from the start and without disciplinary council have added up:

32 days of insulation, with refusal of provision of the money which is sent to him to enable him to telephone.
20 days of mode of dehydration to the ebullient water, which causes acute pains with on an empty stomach and acts as a powerful intestinal purgative. Consequences: renal blocking, destabilization of the glycaemia and the blood-pressure.
18 days of prohibition of visit of his friends. Retention of his mail, entering as well as outgoing.
8 days of maintenance in isolation regime when he stops the hunger strike, without neither visit of the doctor nor hydration protocol. Consequences: coma diabetic.

Transfer n° 3 in intensive care (48h) for a reanimation of which he awakes shackled. Refusal to treat his kidneys. Consequences: Retention of water. Transfer n° 4 in a normal cell of block 61. Transfer n° 5 to the prison of Turnhout. Isolation regime and deprivation of his medication, of which insulin (48h). Transfer n° 6 in normal cell. Refusal of treatment to the retention of water. Consequences: Two wounded cardiac valves and leukaemia. Transfer n° 7 in intensive care in cardiology (5 days): pulse reduced to 24 beats the minute. Refusal of treatment of the kidneys and the cardiac catheterization prescribes by the cardiologist.

Transfer n° 8: return to block 61 of the prison of Bruges. Consequence: request of euthanasia, because of the detention conditions incompatible with his final diseases and the impossibility of obtaining the treatments prescribed by the specialists. Answer: incentive to suicide of a doctor in the prison, who advises him that it is enough for him to stop his medications and to eat normally to die in ten days. A second doctor met in prison will encourage him later on with this suicide by telling him that "the minister would release him" to prevent the suicides in prison”. The minister of Justice has not found any better than offering him a pill to cause the stopping of his heart beat.

His fellows-prisoners tell him that the normal sanction is to be stripped, ankles and wrists shackled at the four corners of a bed in isolation cell during 9 days, the doctor and the female director of the prison coming every day to note the evolution of these naked prisoners. No other diabetic diet than the deprivation of food comprising too much sugar, this without compensation. He exchanges the stamps he is sent against food.

Sanction following publication of these facts by his NGO: prohibition of any contact other than with psychiatric patients. Transfer n° 9 in a so-called cell "for diabetic", with a scatological patient, therefore who spreads his excrements everywhere, and who mumbles 24 hours a day. The new section "for diabetic" ensures only occasionally the diabetic diet. Denial of need for catheterization prescribed by the cardiologist (12 days). Consequence: Suicide attempt by refusal of medication. The doctor of prison negotiates the suicide against the catheterization. Consequence: Transfer n° 10 for surgical operation and re-incarceration with an open femoral artery. Consequence: internal bleeding. Transfer n° 11 in intensive care (3 days):

Surgical releasing of the kidneys (following 50 days of delaying tactics) and dialyses.
Closing of the femoral vein.
Surgical placement of a tube in the neck for a transfusion of 3 litres blood.

Transfer n° 12: 11 days of post surgical treatment with the scatological patient. Consequences: gangrene left without useful treatment. Refusal of hospitalization to the favour of 5 transfers (n° 13-17) in an ambulance for dialyses under shackles, until the re-establishment of 60% of its renal capacities. He is kept at the hospital, in secrecy from his family, at the 17th transfer, brought in the middle of the night in intensive care for a haemorrhage at the level of the femoral artery. The following day: amputation of flesh and bones with gangrene, leaving him a hole where he can hide half of his fist. He is maintained 8 days under an electric light 24 hours a day, shackled to the hospital bed, until he asks to be brought back in prison, to be allowed to sleep. (Torture by preventing to sleep.)

Negotiation carried out by the doctor of prison about cauterizations of the cardiac valves in exchange of the withdrawal from Internet, an article of the foundation Princesses of Croÿ and Massimo Lancellotti, which reports the first 5 emergency hospitalizations made in secret, without warning his family, in violation of the regulation. Deal concluded in exchange of 2 hospitalizations at 3 weeks from interval by recommended operation, without shackles, nor light 24 hours a day and limitation for the revalidation.

Transfer n° 18 in an "observation cell" out of the medical block, in isolation regime, with a bell in the event of heart attack (48h). Transfer n°19 in a normal cell, in the disciplinary block 35, without bell in the event of heart attack, but where the warder ensure that the prisoners get the diet for diabetic. One of the directors threatens him with violence of sanctions if the NGO who are exposing the situation do not withdraw from Internet, the term "attempted murder" and the public survey on the chief consultant of all the prisons. The NGO refuse. Consequences: sanction/transfer n° 20 in the scatological cell of the patient with prohibition from leaving for social contact. The Disciplinary Council: sanction/transfer n°21 for 1 month in a cell to three of the block disciplinary 35, with prohibition from leaving it, of visits, telephoning, going to the mass, reading of all the mail entering and outgoing. He is deprived during 4 days of any medication. The doctor of the prison reacts only to alarms of the NGO on Internet advising that his life is in extra danger.

The Council of State considers the sanction illegal, as the prisoner cannot be held responsible in person for the writings of the ONG. Consequence: Lifting of the sanction at the end of one week. Transfer n° 22 to the disciplinary block in individual cell. Rupture of the deal concluded on the medical matter. Only one open-heart operation will be authorized, with delaying tactics covering the period of the 05-11-2008 to 4-03-2009. Promise of electronic bracelet planned for May, deferred to August, and then deferred sine die and refusal of any penitentiary leave. He receives the opinion prohibiting to him from going to the baptism of his grandson, 8 months after the baptism.

The treatments reserved to Marcel raise international indignation, but also that of the prisoners who telephone on their own credit to warn his collaborators when he is in danger. He is confronted to dangerous prisoners, violent ones and condemned for the crimes which he has spent his life to fight. The other prisoners form a chain of solidarity to protect him. He is also supported by the warders, who protest that a man in such a state is maintained in a disciplinary block. Warders have order to check every quarters of hour if he is not dead, and to advise immediately the direction in case, as it expects big disorders in the prison when it has to happen. Procedure n° 1 of expulsion from his residence and evacuation of his personal effects in progress, as if he was already dead.

Transfer n° 23: open-heart operation, with foot chained and handcuffed in the recovery room, and re-incarceration after 10 days with a prescription of three revalidation treatment. Transfer n° 24 to block 61 with the scatological patient (48h). Transfer n° 25: return to the disciplinary block 35, where the revalidation is suspended during the holidays of Easter, the W/E and bank holidays. Transfer n° 26: the doctor obtains more human detention conditions at the prison of Leuwen. Counter-order of the psychosocial service: three weeks after the open-heart operation, he is locked up handcuffed in a cage van during one day then brought back to block 35, in another cell, where he is deprived of insulin during 4 days, then condemned to a reduction of the 10 pills that he has taken daily for more than 10 years, to only 3 pills during 12 days.

Hardening of these detention conditions by harassing: storage in the cellar of the items which are sent to him, including paper and the stamps. Returning the money which is intended to him under pretext which he would be "unknown". Entering and outgoing mail delayed, sometimes even confiscated, even from the other prisoners who want to testify of the exceptional cruelty of his detention conditions. Three weeks of delaying tactics deferring a regulation of cardiac electric shocks for stabilization of an arrhythmia considered dangerous. Consequences: he stops his medications and continuous to eat normally as had indicated him two doctors in the prison. He survives against all expectation 44 days, with a threshold of glycaemia in the blood, which has caused him 11 diabetic comas beforehand, but with vomiting every two hours and clinical signs of critical stage of dehydration.

His survival attracts the curiosity of many governments, medical research laboratories and universities, without that all this these people do not protest of such wretched treatments. He is described as "living miracle".

Stefaan De Clerk, Minister of Belgian justice, concedes to waive the disciplinary action of block 35 only when a French television makes a 14 minutes emission, on the scandal of this detention. Authorization of the transfer n° 27, at the prison of Turnhout, while waiting for the decision of the Tribunal of the sentence application, for his request for liberation on parole, based in particular on convention against torture and other cruel or inhuman or degrading treatments or sentences. Mr. VERVLOESEM takes back his medications, but the ministry refuses him the cardiac electroshocks authorised 44 days earlier or the hydration protocol.

In the imprison of Turnhout, he is reduced to makeshift hydration as it is recommended in Africa in absence of hydration serum. The doctor of the prison of Turnhout is very conscientious, says Marcel and he does all that he can, but he does not have anything to say. It is the minister who decides.

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Marcel Vervloesem's inhuman treatments in prison (synthesis)