Judge rules Friday on four men held over Wallen exploitation

Four Romanian men arrested last July on the Wallen, Amsterdam's red-light district, appeared at a first pro-forma hearing. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) says they belonged to a criminal organisation that exploited women from Romania for years. The judge will decide on Friday whether the four stay in custody longer.

All four are suspected of sexual exploitation and membership of a criminal organisation. Robert V., Dima V. and Daniel S. are also suspected of human trafficking. In total, seven Romanian men were arrested at the end of July: three in Romania and four in Amsterdam.

The suspects' lawyers told the court there is too little evidence in the case file. They say the OM blew the case up in the media with videos of the arrests and a press kit, and that the media wrongly portrayed an organised "pimp gang".

Ion G. (41), who lives in Austria, asked the judge through his lawyer to be released. "I am innocent," he told the judge. He said he has not seen his daughter, aged three and a half, since July. "I don't want them to suffer because of lies."

The prosecutor said exploitation is now often subtle. "The average pimp no longer locks women up, but we see that exploitation is much more subtle, for example by promising a future in Romania with children and a family," the OM said. That makes it hard for victims to report it, the OM said, adding that women would often need time to realise the position they have been put in.