Ex-wife of child murderer Dutroux to be released from legal conditions

Michelle Martin, the ex-wife of Marc Dutroux, will be released this Friday without conditions. That is what the Justice department has announced to the relatives of the victims of Dutroux, according to a post on Tuesday evening on the Facebook page of Paul Marchal.

Martin was sentenced to thirty years in prison by the Assize Court of Arlon in 2004 for complicity in the crimes committed by her ex-husband, who was given a life sentence for kidnapping, torture, rape and murder. He was responsible for the abduction of six girls. Four girls did not survive his atrocities.

Martin, who had been in prison since 1996, was granted early release under conditions in August 2012 after repeated requests by the Bergen Criminal Court. Ten years later, those conditions are now falling away.

"It remains difficult ... Especially on a day like today. So many years ago, An was snatched from our lives on 23 August. It becomes even more difficult when you just now receive a court letter with the businesslike message that the conditions linked to Martin's provisional freedom are cancelled", responds Paul Marchal, the father of one of the victims, on his Facebook page.

© ​ ​ BELGA PHOTO POOL - Michelle Martin and ​ Marc Dutroux pictured inside the Arlon assize court, Monday 21 June 2004 during the trial of Marc Dutroux and his accomplices Michelle Martin, Michel lelievre and Michel Nihoul.