Dutroux affair
Child abuse network in Belgium
The Dutroux affair was huge news in Belgium where 350,000 people took to the streets to protest the handling of the case involving an elite pedophile ring.
The ring had links with the establishment and royalty. The case has been linked to abuse at Château des Amerois
Background
Suspicion began in multiple young girls began disappearing around the area of Bertrix, Belgium. Young girls had been disappearing in this area for a couple of years but local police were unable to develop any solid leads. A breakthrough came when a suspicious white van was reported, and the police were able to trace it to Marc Dutroux, a known pedophile.
Though unemployed and receiving welfare from the state, he owned seven homes and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle paid for by selling children and child porn. Girls as young as 8 reportedly starved to death in a makeshift dungeon in his basement, after months of sexual abuse.
The Cover-up
What scandalized the Belgium people was not simply the abuse, but rather the systematic cover-up.
Police had investigated Dutroux multiple times without any arrests.
Police entered his home and saw a makeshift dungeon in which two girls were being starved inside.
Police ignored a tip from an informant, who said that Dutroux offered him between 3,000 and 5,000 dollars to kidnap young girls.
Police had in their possession a video tape of Dutroux constructing the makeshift dungeon in one of his basement.
The lead prosecutor, Jean-Marc Conorrette, was fired from the case. He would later allege he received multiple death threats.1
Protection of the Elite
A well-regarded children’s activist, Marie France Botte, claimed that the new prosecutors were sitting on a politically sensitive list of high-profile customers of Dutrouxs thousands of video tapes.2
Marc Verwilghen, the Flemish parliamentarian who led the inquiry into Dutroux, claimed that many in the Belgian establishment, including heads of government, refused to cooperate, and sought to stifle and ridicule his report. He claimed that magistrates and police were officially told to not answer certain questions, in what he described as a ‘characteristic smothering operation.’
He was further quoted as saying ‘For me, the Dutroux affair is a question of organized crime.’
Involvement of Elite in Abuse
A parliamentary panel revealed the names of 30 government officials it said were complicit in the hiding of Dutrouxs misdeeds, none have been punished.
One of the victims, Regina Louf, came forward with details about Belgium’s child abuse networks and those involved. She named many of the members of this elite ring, including senior judges, one of the country’s most powerful politicians – now dead – and an influential banker were included. To quote a BBC article:
“The sessions not only involved sex, they included sadism, torture and murder; and again, she described in detail, the place, the victims and how they were killed.”3
She corroborated that one of Dutrouxs associates, Jean-Michel Nihoul, was instrumental in the abuse parties.
“At these parties Nihoul was a sort of party beast while Dutroux was more on the side.”3
Nihoul had significant connections among Belgian political and financial elite. He confessed to organizing an orgy at a Belgian chateau attended by government officials. It emerged that Dutroux and Nihoul were part of a long distance child trafficking ring that imported children from Slovakia4.
Satanic Aspect
Abrasax
The Dutroux victims attested to horrific abuse: raped by dogs and snakes, and being forced to witness the murders of other children. The abuse seemed to centre around a group called “Abrasax”.
Police in August 1996 found a note at the home of Bernard Weinstein, an accomplice who Dutroux has admitted murdering, which led them to investigate the “Abrasax” organization led by “high priestess” Dominique Kindermans.
Nothing was found of significance in a police raid of the premises of Abrasax. The priestess Nahema-Nephthys (Dominique Kinderman) and priest Anubis (Francis Desmet) freely admitted their interest in black magic but denied any illegality.
The police were criticised for their “satanic panic” and the black magic/ritual murder hypotheses were suppressed soon after, and never emerged again.
Armand Van Ghyseghem
MAny witnesses spoke to police about Armand van Ghyseghem, a businessman based in Belgium.
What follows are points extracted from three police interviews concerning
- Van Ghyseghem claimed he regularly abused girls who were locked in iron cages.5
- Van Ghyseghem is friends with the priest & priestess of Abrasax.5
- A man died in a black mass at Abasax.56
- Van Ghyseghem was protected by Charles PICQUE, a notable Belgian politician.5
- Van Ghyseghem cult name is Aba Vangh.5
- Children were brought by their parents and took communion in the name of Satan.7
- Van Ghysegham bragged of his paedophilia in Asia7
Much information concerning this gentleman has been scrubbed from the internet and searches for his name are blocked under EU law.
Notes
The dossier about the abuse, including the police interviews, was published by wikileaks and available here
References
- Judge tells of murder plots to block Dutroux investigation. Daily Telegraph. 5 March, 2004 [return]
- Kidnap Deaths Plunge Belgium Into Guilt. Los Angeles Times. 2 September, 1996. [return]
- Regina Louf’s testimony. BBC News. 2 May, 2002 [return]
- Dutroux and the network. BBC News. 2 May, 2002 [return]
- Police Statement of Willy Vassaux dated 21/12/1996 [return]
- Police Statement of PJ Arlon Davin dated 09/01/1997 [return]
- Police Statement of PJ Arlon Davin dated 14/01/1997 [return]