Philippe Servaty

Philippe Servaty is a Belgian[1] journalist who formerly worked for Brussels-based newspaper Le Soir.[2] While in Morocco from 2002–05, he engaged in sex with over 80 Moroccan women, promising to take them to Belgium.[3] Before leaving for Belgium, he asked them for sexual photos as souvenirs and photographed them in poses that could be seen as degrading. They included ejaculating on the face of a veiled woman and having another woman kneel, bound, and gagged while he urinated on her.[3][4] After returning to Belgium, he published the photos on the internet under the pseudonym, 'Belguel' and included captions such as, "There is no better drug than to ejaculate on the veiled face of a woman." "These sluts are so naive. If you promise to marry them and take them along with you to Brussels they do whatever you ask" and “I met her walking down the street in her djellaba. A few minutes later, the fucking bitch did everything I wanted. Miracles do happen, even in a Muslim country!”.[2][3][5][6]

At least one of the women filed a complaint to the police in Morocco, after a CD-ROM of the pictures began circulating in marketplaces in Agadir.[3] The police arrested her, as well as many of the other women pictured, as posing for pornographic photos is a crime in Morocco.[3][7][8] At least two of the women attempted suicide while in prison, and several have disappeared, either in hiding or murdered by their families in honor killings.[3][7] Moroccan authorities asked Belgium to press charges against Servaty.[3] Belgium declined, as the photos are not illegal under Belgian law.[3][7] He may face charges for making anti-Islamic statements, a crime under Belgian and European Union laws.[3] Additionally, Moroccan authorities have stated that he will be arrested if he returns to Morocco; he had previously been arrested there for possession of pornography. Due to the scandal, Servaty resigned from Le Soir.[2][4]

Families of the photographed women have placed a bounty on his head, and both he and his wife received death threats.[3] Servaty was forced into hiding in fear for his life.[2][5] Servarty said in an interview that he was a sex addict and apologized for his actions.[5]

There were press reports at the time of the Moroccan scandal that Servaty, having been dismissed from Le Soir, was about to be taken onto the staff of the Brussels Regional Parliament as a civil servant, but that the offer had been abruptly withdrawn following his exposure in the media and the ensuing scandal. It is not know whether the offer was renewed once things had quietened down.

In February 2013, the Criminal Court of Brussels sentenced Servaty to 18 months for "debauchery or prostitution of a minor", "degrading treatment" and "exhibition and distribution pornographic images".[9]

References

  1. ↑ Bradley, John R. Behind the Veil of Vice: the Business and Culture of Sex in the Middle East. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Print. books.google.com
  2. 1 2 3 4 (French) Scandale porno d’Agadir, Karim Boukhari, TelQuel #180. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (English) Avenging Muslims Seek to Kill Belgian Journalist, Paul Beliën, The Brussels Journal, 2005-07-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
  4. 1 2 (English) 'Le Soir' paper 'extremely shocked' to be associated in ethical scandal in Morocco, ArabicNews.com, 2005-06-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
  5. 1 2 3 (Dutch) De slachtoffers van Servaty, Bart Schut, Knack. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
  6. ↑ http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/66
  7. 1 2 3 (Dutch) Ze zijn zo naïef, meneer, Bénédicte Vaes, De Standaard, 2005-07-02. Retrieved on 2007-02-02
  8. ↑ Agadir scandal Belgian MPs urge King to pardon victims, Morocco Times, (15 July 2005).
  9. ↑ "Philippe Servaty, le pornographe d'Agadir s'en sort avec 18 mois seulement" (in French). La Vie éco. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
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