Judicial Insanity

Surfing the web, I happened to see this article by Louis Chagnon posted at Bernard Antony's website. Louis Chagnon, about whom I have written in the past, has had his own problems with the French justice system, having been prosecuted for teaching certain unpleasant truths about Islam. Here he describes another incredible story of injustice in the courts:

The weekly journal Valeurs Actuelles has been ordered to pay a heavy fine in damages to Pierre Bodein, the murderer and torturer of three people, including two children, one of whom was little Jeanne-Marie Kegelin. On January 11, 2008, the journal published an article on the "necessary extension of jail sentences, out of a concern for public safety, of the most dangerous criminals". The article mentioned this pathetic individual given a life sentence in 2007 for the three murders, after having been released early from prison. Bodein filed a suit against the journal on grounds that it violated the "presumption of his innocence" since he was appealing the verdict. On October 2, 2008, Pierre Bodein was sentenced by the criminal court of appeals to life. The appeals court of Colmar did not take this verdict into account when it sustained the ruling to make Valeurs Actuelles pay damages to the torturer Pierre Bodein for "moral harm". How can anyone not be appalled by such judicial insanity! Today a torturer of the worst kind can calmly receive payment for damages because a weekly journal spoke of his crimes. The majority of citizens of this country know that the French justice system is no longer rendering Justice. It is urgent to change the law on the presumption of innocence to prevent morality from being destroyed utterly. Shame on the French Justice system!

Note: Pierre Bodein was found guilty of murdering Hedwige Vallée, 38, of kidnapping, raping and murdering Jeanne-Marie Kegelin, 10, and of kidnapping, raping and murdering Julie Scharsch, 14. He was also found guilty of two kidnapping attempts.

Bodein (below) is a member of the Yeniche community - a semi-nomadic group of unknown origin. The Yeniche always live in extended families and have their own language. There are short Wikipedia articles in French and English on this strange people.