European court won’t take up pro-paedophile association case
A Dutch court decision to ban the pro-paedophile organisation Martijn will not be looked at by the European Court of Human Rights, news agency ANP says on Monday.
The association was banned in the Netherlands last year but said at the time it hoped to get the European Court to re-examine the case. However, Christian Democrat MP Pieter Omzigt said on Monday the court had confirmed to him that no case will be forthcoming.
The Dutch Supreme Court said the organisation should be banned in April 2014 because the protection of children should weigh more heavily than freedom of expression.
The Martijn Foundation campaigns for the legalisation of sexual contact between adults and children and has been the subject of a convoluted legal battle for years.
The lawyers who took the cases to the European court on behalf of the foundation said the court is avoiding a difficult legal issue.
‘It shows a lack of guts,’ said Gerard Spong and Sidney Smeets in a reaction. ‘In a democratic society, unpopular opinions should be protected. Freedom of speech only means something if it protects unpopular opinions as well.’
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