Monday, January 26, 2009

CA Activist Jailed

Capitola animal rights activist sentenced in Marin
By Gary Klien - MediaNews
Posted: 01/22/2009 04:34:34 PM PST

MARIN - An animal-rights advocate who threatened a Larkspur professor over his medical research was sentenced to six months in Marin County Jail.

Justin Bhagat Thind, 33, also received three years of probation during a sentencing hearing Wednesday before Judge Faye D'Opal. Thind's lawyer, Robert Casper, said the sentence was "fair and appropriate."

"He never intended to carry out his threats, but at the same time he recognized the wrongfulness of his actions and he's remorseful for it," Casper said.

The case began in 2007 after someone obtained the phone numbers and personal information of several University of California at San Francisco researchers who used live animals in their work.

The information was posted on Internet discussion boards for animal-rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Animal Liberation Front, according to court documents. Read More

It’s encouraging to see that law enforcement and judges are taking the animal rights threat seriously. When these extremists are threatening people’s lives, they need to be dealt with appropriately in order to send a message that these terrorist activities will not be tolerated. Our constitution allows for protest but not for terrorism.

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