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- MARC SONTROP -
The greatness of a human being is when one takes the decision to be bigger than his/her condition. Marc Sontrop is an atypical detainee because of the offences he commits, but also because of his activism. He did time because at the age of 16 - it is 1968, Marc is placed in Brasschaat - he escapes and denounces the violence and the sexual abuse of the educators on the children placed there as he is. His testimony leads him to prison, in Vorst, and will remain hushed up. At 17 he brings secretly his girlfriend of 16 years old in the home. Marc worships love. Justice does not. Because he takes a tram without a ticket and refuses to pay the fine, he will do 8 days more in prison. Another idea of him: one night he decides to sacrifice ten kg of latex paint to paint slogans (put tags, as one says today) on the walls of the old prison of St. Léonard in Liège. He will be interned 1 year in Paifve. The homes of the jugde only aggravate things. At 19 Marc commits a serious offence but even if there is more fear then damage done, he is charged with double murder attempt. There will be no trial and to prevent every blemish Marc Sontrop will be interned. Three hard years of imprisonment and Marc leaves in REVOLT. He creates with some other people the Belgial sction of the COMITÉ D’ACTION DES PRISONNIERS in 1973. He participates in the large ANTI-PSYCHIATRy mouvement. He becomes the pivot of the CODIP – Comité d’Action des Internés et Prisonniers in Belgium. He participates in the preparations for the radio transmissions PASSE-MURAILLE. He writes in Alternative Libertaire. In 1986 he prefers, in Liège, to do social work with his house for excluded: ACCEUIL et HÉBERGEMENT. Particularly sensible and quickly in desperation himself, Marc changes his combat. With actions one will qualify as crazy, he sets fire on his own place of residence in 1983, 1991, 1993 et 2002. No victims but serious damages. Every time his act was meant to lead him to a public trial before a jury, the possibility to make it a TRIBUNE to denounce the social injustices that lead to incarceration. Marc Sontrop is far from being an infamous pyromaniac. He is an insurgent who was wrong to set fire. Justice is not inclined to let itself be criticized. One has to silence Marc Sontrop. He, in 1996, creates the association DIRE LA PRISON (TALKING PRISON). Since the 13th of April 2002, Justice appoints psychiatrist after psychiatrist and psychologist to attempt to get a grip on the personality of this detainee who shouts that a Just system of criminal justice is impossible in an unjust society. On the 27th of June 2003 he is condemned to 4 years of imprisonment. Stripped naked with his painful history, in different prisons and penitentiary institutions, one doesn’t want Marc Sontrop anymore. Inside, some guards in the prison of Lantin made his life difficult. On the 4th of April, Marc Sontrop is carried off with a special transfer to the prison of Verviers. He is in an urgent need for post stamps and some money. He is searching for a solidarity network outside of the prison. He is searching for correspondents (Marc only knows French) ready to help him in a sustained way and to exchange ideas. Without help from the outside, the new prison sentence of Marc Sontrop will be long and especially useless. Before the judges and the attorney, Marc Sontrop was not « actively submissive » as the magistrates demand. Moreover, Marc Sontrop is agitating against the « chicken cages » of the cell block of the Palace of Justice of Liège. He anticipates other actions during his detention. You can write him , preferably in French (add some stamps) : Marc Sontrop Prison de Verviers 81, Chaussée de Heusy 4800 Verviers prison account, mention his name: 679.2005520.45 |