Judge Upholds Ahmed Ghailani's Terror Conviction

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Judge Upholds Ahmed Ghailani's Terror Conviction

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Trials
Posted on Fri Jan 21, 2011 at 10:22:40 AM EST
Tags: Ahmed Ghailani (all tags)

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Judge Lewis Kaplan has issued a 56 page opinion upholding the conviction of Ahmed Ghailani for the 1988 U.S. Embassy bombings.

From the ruling (available on PACER): Judge Kaplan notes that Ghailani's defense from the beginning "was the contention that he was an innocent dupe – that is, that he innocently performed benign acts which, with the benefit of hindsight, turned out to have furthered plans of others to bomb the embassies." He quotes the defense stating to the jury:

“One question. I'll make this as easy for you today as possible because there is one question for you to decide. Did he know? After four weeks of trial, dozens of witnesses, hundreds of exhibits, 200-some charges, I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there is one question: Did he know and did he know beyond a reasonable doubt? And based on the facts and the law, the answer to that one question simply is no. Ahmed did not know.”

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TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeTalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime

Chicago Torture Cop Jon Burge Sentenced to 4.5 Years

By Jeralyn, Section Misconduct
Posted on Fri Jan 21, 2011 at 05:20:00 PM EST
Tags: Jon Burge, Chicago, police misconduct (all tags)

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Bump and Update: Burge was sentenced today to 4 1/2 years in prison. More here. The Judge told Burge, "The case "demonstrates at the very least a severe lack of respect for the due process of law and your refusal to acknowledge the truth in the face of all this evidence," she said."

*****

Original Post

Jon Burge, the Chicago cop who allegedly tortured arrestees until they confessed during a period of 40 years, will learn his punishment today in a Chicago federal court.

His name has become synonymous with police brutality in the nation's third-largest city, with allegations stretching back nearly 40 years and the case even affecting the state's debate over the death penalty. Dozens of suspects — almost all of them black men — claimed Burge and his officers tortured them into confessing to crimes from robbery to murder.

Burge's sentencing hearing began yesterday, with the Government asking for 30 years. The Probation Department concluded his guideline range is 15 to 21 months. Burge agrees but is asking for a below guideline sentence. Because Burge was only convicted of lying and obstruction in relation to a civil case, and the judge, as explained below, has sided with Burge and the Probation Department on the calculation of his guidelines, his sentence is likely to be in the 15 to 21 month range, or close to it. [More..]

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Is Apple Polluting and Endangering the Health of its Chinese Workers? | Fast Company

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeIs Apple Polluting and Endangering the Health of its Chinese Workers? | Fast Company

Is Apple Polluting and Endangering the Health of its Chinese Workers?

BY ARIEL SCHWARTZToday

Apple recently emerged as a champion for environmental transparency with the introduction of its Apple and the Environment site, which offers up a lifecycle analysis of Apple products, packaging information, CO2 emissions and more. But Apple may not be as forthcoming as it claims. A group of 36 Chinese environmental groups accused the computer manufacturer this week of ignoring concerns about pollution and health issues in its Chinese factories.

The 26 page report (PDF in Chinese) ranks Apple last in a list of 29 technology companies based on worker safety and environmental standards, according to the Financial Times. The report lists a number of examples of Apple's negiligence; in one 2009 case, 49 workers in a factory that produces touchscreens for Apple devices were poisoned with n-hexane, a chemical cleaning agent. The workers ended up with debilitating health problems--and Apple didn't respond to any of their complaints.

The Chinese environmental groups behind the report have tried to contact Apple, but to no avail. They claim that the company will not confirm or deny whether they contract with the polluting suppliers named in the report.

It's hard to say whether this will impact Apple's sales. The company has already dealt with a number of suicides at one of its suppliers, Foxconn, and that hasn't dented its reputation. But if Apple continues to ignore supply chain issues, the problems will only grow--and eventually, they will come back to haunt the company.

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