Wise Young
03-03-2006, 04:12 AM
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-03-02T234023Z_01_N02362401_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-ANIMALS.xml
Animal rights activists convicted in New Jersey
Thu Mar 2, 2006pm ET166
U.S. News
By Jon Hurdle
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A federal jury using an anti-terrorism law for the first time convicted six animal rights activists on Thursday for a campaign to drive a company out of business.
The jury in Trenton, New Jersey, found the defendants and their organization guilty of violating the Animal Enterprise Protection Act, a federal law that was amended in 2002 to equate its offenses with terrorism. This marked the first trial and conviction under that law, federal officials said.
The members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) were also found guilty of conspiracy and interstate stalking in their campaign against employees of Huntingdon Life Sciences, a British company that tests consumer products on animals and has operations in East Millstone, New Jersey.
"SHAC and all six individual defendants have been found guilty on all counts against them," said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey.
During the three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Anne Thompson, jurors heard that defendants urged sympathizers to harass Huntingdon employees, vandalize their cars and publish the names, addresses and phone numbers of their families on a Web site.
SHAC members also used their Web site in an attempt to stop other companies from doing business with Huntingdon in the hope that if they succeeded, Huntingdon itself would be unable to operate.
Their tactics included sending thousands of e-mails to the targeted companies to disrupt their computers, and sending "black faxes" to prevent fax machines from operating.
Some companies ended their relationship with Huntingdon as a result of SHAC's campaign, prosecutors said.
more...
Animal rights activists convicted in New Jersey
Thu Mar 2, 2006pm ET166
U.S. News
By Jon Hurdle
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A federal jury using an anti-terrorism law for the first time convicted six animal rights activists on Thursday for a campaign to drive a company out of business.
The jury in Trenton, New Jersey, found the defendants and their organization guilty of violating the Animal Enterprise Protection Act, a federal law that was amended in 2002 to equate its offenses with terrorism. This marked the first trial and conviction under that law, federal officials said.
The members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) were also found guilty of conspiracy and interstate stalking in their campaign against employees of Huntingdon Life Sciences, a British company that tests consumer products on animals and has operations in East Millstone, New Jersey.
"SHAC and all six individual defendants have been found guilty on all counts against them," said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey.
During the three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Anne Thompson, jurors heard that defendants urged sympathizers to harass Huntingdon employees, vandalize their cars and publish the names, addresses and phone numbers of their families on a Web site.
SHAC members also used their Web site in an attempt to stop other companies from doing business with Huntingdon in the hope that if they succeeded, Huntingdon itself would be unable to operate.
Their tactics included sending thousands of e-mails to the targeted companies to disrupt their computers, and sending "black faxes" to prevent fax machines from operating.
Some companies ended their relationship with Huntingdon as a result of SHAC's campaign, prosecutors said.
more...