Free Barrett Brown · @FreeBarrett_
8th Nov 2013 from TwitLonger
There's no better symbol of the unjust persecution of Barrett Brown, than the misguided and needless case against his own mother.
When Brown made a fateful decision to spend the night away from his apartment on March 5, 2012, he could not have known that he'd be placing his loved ones at significant legal risk.
As the result of an FBI raid the next day, his mom faced a charge of obstructing the execution of a search warrant. Perhaps under pressure and with few other options, she later pleaded guilty, and admitted to attempting to conceal two laptop computers.
Brown was so outraged over his mother's treatment and the threat of her being charged by the FBI, that it caused him to erupt in a series of YouTube videos attacking the nature of the investigation, in which he even tried to take the blame for obstruction. There, he stressed that his mom was entirely unaware of his activities, referring to her as a “rule follower.” He claimed “I hid the laptops...not her. She didn't know they were hidden.” He told the New York Times that he “put all [his] laptops in very specific places where they couldn’t be found.”
And it must be noted that as a journalist, Brown had a First Amendment right, recognized in most jurisdictions including the Fifth Circuit, to protect confidential information and sources.
But by then, Barrett Brown's efforts to defend his mother were in vain. His subsequent arrest and charges tied their cases together inextricably.
While we are pleased with the leniency shown by the judge today, we condemn the sentence and case against Karen McCutchin as a whole, as a dangerous excursion and infringement upon rights.
There can be no real justice as the FBI and DOJ use family members to intimidate, harass and pressure others.
While it's easy to be offended by such tactics, we urge everyone to channel that outrage into concrete efforts to support Barrett Brown and his legal defense.