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Keith Henson - Urgent Action NeededKeith Henson was arrested Friday, February 2 in Prescott, Arizona. He faces a hearing on Monday, February 5, to determine whether he will be extradited to California to serve a year in prison for "interfering with a religion", a misdemeanor offense. Keith was convicted in 2001 after he picketed Scientology's base in the California desert. The jury was misled into thinking he had posted some jokes about "Cruise missiles" (as in Tom Cruise) to the internet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology; the posts in question were not made by him, but even if they had been, that does not constitute a credible threat as required by law. The Electronic Frontier Foundation issued a statement after his conviction expressing grave concern that he had basically been convicted for exercising his free speech rights. There were numerous anomalies during his trial (including a summons that was never mailed to him, which would have left him in contempt of court if he hadn't found out about the hearing another way). Keith has received several death threats. He believes that if he is imprisoned for this offense, he will be killed, either outright or via denial of his medication. What You Can DoPlease contact the governors of California and Arizona. Ask the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, why he signed the extradition order, and urge him to
Ask the governor of Arizona not to sign the extradition order permitting Keith to be sent to California. As always, courteous and brief letters are best. You should be able to email California Governor Schwarzenegger at http://www.govmail.ca.gov/, although the page is not loading for me at the moment. CA Governor Phone: 916-445-2841 You can email Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano at http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp. AZ Governor Telephone (602) 542-4331 My letter to CA Governor SchwarzeneggerDear Governor Schwarzennegger, I am writing about H. Keith Henson, who faces extradition to California for a misdemeanor offence. His Arizona hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 5. First, may I inquire why you signed a Governor's Warrant for his extradition? I am deeply surprised that a misdemeanor offence calls for such a measure. I respectfully ask you to review the history of this case more thoroughly. Mr. Henson's trial was riddled with improprieties. At the time of Mr. Henson's conviction in 2001, the Electronic Frontier Foundation issued a statement expressing grave concern that the decision violated his right to free speech and urging the court to set aside the conviction. I urge you to examine the details of this case and consider a pardon rather than an extradition. Finally, please be aware that Mr. Henson has received several death threats and fears that he will be harmed or killed in prison. I implore you to ensure that he is kept safe until he is once again a free man. Thank you so much for your prompt consideration of this urgent matter. Most sincerely, Kristi Wachter Learn MoreFree Keith Henson blog Keith Henson at DailyKos Keith Henson at Wikipedia discussion of Keith's situation at Slashdot Keith Henson news (may be slightly out of date) ( categories: ) |