A Country Awash in Horror

Sorrow and anger have filled the streets of Belgium with rising protests over a scandal of pedophilia and murder. The demonstrations, which are demanding a national soul-searching, are directed against what many Belgians see as a corrupt judicial and political system, one that may hold dark secrets in the case. On Sunday, 300,000 marched through Brussels, the national capital, demanding justice.

The child pornography scandal has haunted the small country since August. Four girls were murdered, two were rescued and 10 children are missing. Being blamed is a ring allegedly headed by Marc Dutroux, who was released from prison before fully serving a sentence for child rape.

Belgians are questioning a decision by the Supreme Court to sack the investigative magistrate who uncovered the ring and arrested Dutroux. The court counters that magistrate Jean-Marc Connerotte properly was taken off the case because he compromised his neutrality by attending a fund-raising event for the families of missing children and accepting a spaghetti meal and a fountain pen as a gift. The ordinary people are not buying that; they claim the magistrate was pulled off the case because he was prepared to disclose that some parties in government were protecting members of the pornography ring.

Under the letter of the law, yes, the magistrate erred in showing up at a function supporting one side of a matter under his investigation, but many Belgians find his actions understandable and justified. The public horror is palpable. Two of the victims were found starved to death nine months after their disappearance.

Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene has promised there will be reform in the justice system. He also promised that the Dutroux investigation will be pursued to the end. That’s fine, but his words have not repaired the damage done to faith in government. Dehaene and his officials have handled the investigation poorly, and Belgians are asking why.