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AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch Supreme Court has banned a Dutch group that advocates the legalization of pedophilia.
The decision Friday completes a lengthy legal process. The group, "Martijn," had argued it should be permissible to lobby for the legalization of a criminal act so long as it operated within the confines of the law. Child pornography and pedophilia are illegal in the Netherlands.
Prosecutors had argued victims' right not to be confronted with the group's message outweighed members' right to freedom of speech and association. In addition, many of the group's handful of members were convicted of pedophilia or child pornography before or after joining.
The judges' written decision said the group "relativized the dangers of sexual contact with young children, even endorsed such contacts."
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