Accept release of Dutroux's accomplice

Michelle Martin, the ex-wife and accomplice of Belgian child killer Marc Dutroux, was released after 16 years behind bars on Tuesday despite the protests of the families of the victims. Society must accept the decision of the judiciary even if it causes pain, the liberal daily De Standaard writes: "It is a bitter day that brings unbearable, unassimilated suffering. It is a day of horror and the anger at the cruel crimes that can never be erased. Sixteen years were obviously not long enough to heal the wounds left by the Dutroux scandal. … But this heartbreaking affair also shows why we need the law. The judiciary is often, and lamentably quite rightly, criticised. There is a tension between common sense and emotions, between rules and justice. But Martin's case shows that only this imperfect instrument separates us from the arbitrariness of blind revenge. To maintain this fragile boundary we must accept days like this one. No matter how it hurts."

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