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San Francisco Talk Show Host Honored with National Award
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Talk show host Jeff Katz of Talk KNEW in the Oakland/San Francisco area has been named by the Second Amendment Foundation as the recipient of the 2005 James Madison Award. This honor is given each year to pro-gun rights members of the media."

"The Second Amendment Foundation, founded in 1974, exists in order to promote the constitutional right to keep and bear arms."

"Founder and vice president Alan Gottlieb stated, 'Jeff Katz is perhaps the most outspoken radio talk show host in America to support the Second Amendment.' He also said that the decision to give Katz the award was unanimous among the staff and board members of the foundation." ...

Ready, aim, and fire more accurately without bullets
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Anyone who uses a gun - from a sharpshooter with elite armed forces or a weekend firing range hobbyist - knows that training with live ammunition is the best way to improve and maintain accuracy. However, they also know there are also considerable costs and risks involved."

"Although it is universally acknowledged that there is no substitute for live-fire exercises, military units do not train with live ammunition as often as they should or would like to. In both the military and in civilian life, the high cost of bullets for training can be prohibitive. In addition, firing live bullets introduces a stress element into training that can lead to tragic accidents." ...

Wiretaps and privacy (seventh letter)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"I find it very ironic the liberal side of our country is now claiming we shouldn't let fear ruin, limit or destroy our freedoms."

"The claim is that in our rush to feel safe, we shouldn't tolerate the infringement of our rights -- in this case, all the personal freedom and privacy issues brought about by Bush's taps, etc."

"Of course, the liberal side has for decades used that same fear argument and isolated cases as evidence to claim we need firearms bans in this country, regardless of the Second Amendment's recognition and protection (not granting) of that right, and that less than 0.1 percent of all firearms are used in crimes." ...

MN: Experts offer safety tips
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The violent death of Leah Gustafson has many Superior residents feeling uneasy about personal safety."

"Gustafson was stabbed to death in her home by her own sword Jan. 7 after the suspect was allowed into her apartment building. Jason Borelli has been arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the murder."

"Self-defense experts say it appears Gustafson attempted to fight off her attacker, and she used her cell phone to call 911 -- two things that should be done when attacked."

"'It looks as if she fought like a mad dog, and I guess she got overwhelmed,' said Charlie Law, chief deputy of the Douglas County Sheriff's Department and a teacher for rape defense. 'She did the right things.'" [emphasis added] ...

OH: Resident, thieves in shootout
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"George Jones Jr. saw two people breaking into cars Thursday near Pedretti Avenue and West Eighth Street."

"'He was going to stop the thefts from the cars,' said Cincinnati police Capt. Drew Raabe." ...

"The car burglars shot at Jones, who was also armed and shot back." ...

"A person who shoots a burglar can face criminal charges, regardless of whether it was self-defense. The person must prove to a jury he didn't provoke the incident, believed he was in danger of death or great harm and attempted to leave the situation, said Mark Piepmeier, assistant Hamilton County prosecutor." [emphasis added] ...

TX: 1 dead in overnight [apparent self-defense] shooting
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

Houston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man in the 8400 block of Broadway Boulevard on January 14, 2006 at about 10:45 p.m.

The victim is identified as Jimmy Torres, 28, of 3101 Spencer Highway.

Police said a man was leaving the apartment complex and saw Torres standing in the parking lot and noticed that he was holding a pistol. They said Torres raised the pistol and fired at the man, striking his vehicle.

The man returned fire and Torres suffered gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to HPD.

The man left the apartment complex and drove to a nearby location to call the police. He returned to the scene with police. Charges will be referred to the Harris County District Attorney.

PA: Lehigh Valley to thugs: Go ahead, make our day
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Every month, Doug Fritzinger opens his new copy of American Rifleman magazine and reads the anecdotes about firearm-carrying citizens who thwarted robberies, foiled burglaries, scared off carjackers or otherwise exercised their Second Amendment rights in the heat of crisis."

"'That's what we need, more of that going on,' said Fritzinger, manager of the Firing Line gun range ..."

"With armed robberies and other violent crimes unfolding in Allentown and elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley at a dizzying pace these days, Fritzinger may get his wish. Indeed, the Bethlehem clerk who clobbered a would-be robber with a baseball bat the other day may turn out to be at the forefront of a trend: fed-up residents and business owners fighting back ..." ...

CA: Angels are crying
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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NOTE:
Use the following information to access this article:
Site username: [email protected]
Site password: Newslinks
Must have cookies turned on for it to work.
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"Re: your Jan. 10 article, 'Former Oxnard man killed for entering room in error':" ...

"The angels are crying, crying not just for Hector and his family, but for the now forever tormented person who took Hector's life. It wasn't the shooter's fault, he was just reacting to an intruder. But, with easy accessibility to a loaded gun during a confusing and frightening moment, a precious life was erased from the planet. It was a mistake. It was an accident. He's gone forever."

"Please don't tell me about the Second Amendment ... We owe it to the thousands of souls ... to look into our hearts and minds and stop accepting the rhetoric that guns are OK and somehow acceptable in society simply because the Constitution guarantees it." ...

NY: Rifle and Pistol Assoc. calls proposed .50-caliber rifle ban 'totally idiotic'
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Now that New York State has enacted tougher gun laws for crimes committed against police officers and the illegal trafficking of firearms, the new debate could focus on which weapons should be banned."

"Last week, the Assembly passed bill A.4471-A. The bill, which was sponsored by Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington WF,D,I - Medford, would ban the sale, use or possession of .50-caliber anti-armor rifles in New York."

"Eddington said she believes the weapons are a threat to public safety." ...

"When asked about the bill, Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association said, 'I think it is totally idiotic.'" ...

MS: Miss. gun bill draws bead on Memphis 'riffraff'
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"A bill passed Friday by the Mississippi House and companion legislation in the Senate would loosen the legal restrictions on when people may shoot trespassers in their homes, businesses or cars."

"House Bill 882, which passed by a resounding 104-12 vote after about an hour of debate, changes the language in state law so that a citizen who uses deadly force under specific circumstances is presumed to have acted reasonably."

All of DeSoto County's representatives voted for the bill, which now moves to the Senate where a similar bill has been introduced with 30 co-signers, suggesting broad support. Senate Bill 2426 is expected to be taken up in that chamber next week." ...

CO: Colorado Legislature In Session
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The 2006 legislative session, which began Wednesday, is expected to address a number of issues of importance to Colorado. Some of the challenges and opportunities before the General Assembly include:" ...

"... a bill to clarify the 'make my day' law. In this country, we believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty and that people have the right to protect themselves in their own home. But as it now stands, that is not the case under the Colorado 'make my day' law. Currently, people must prove that they are in fear of their life and that they are not guilty of murder in order to claim this form of self-defense. Rep. Gardner's bill would switch the presumption, ensuring that a person truly is innocent until proven guilty." ...

NY: Mayor Mike and the NRA
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"It will be interesting to see whether Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire mayor of New York City, can shake the National Rifle Association's grip on national gun control debate."

"Mayor Bloomberg is justifiably angry over the pathetically lax gun laws in states like Virginia, which are the source of a high percentage of the handguns that are used to commit crimes in the Big Apple. New York, like Massachusetts, has among the nation's strongest gun laws, but they are victimized by those states with the weakest laws � including several in the South and, according to Boston police officials, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont."
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KABA Note: If 'pathetically lax gun laws' are the problem, then why is crime higher in MA and NY?

FL: Fla. Eighth-Grader Shot by Deputies Dies
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"A reportedly suicidal teenager who was shot by police while brandishing a pellet gun in his middle school has died of his injuries, his family's spokeswoman said Saturday."

"Kelly Swofford, a neighbor who had been with the family all morning, stood outside their home and confirmed that 15-year-old Christopher Penley had died."

"'They want to donate his organs because that is what Chris would want,' Swofford said. 'The family is devastated, just devastated.'"

"Penley, of Winter Springs, was accused of pulling the pellet gun in a classroom Friday and pointing it at other students before forcing one into a closet, then leading deputies and SWAT team members on a chase that ended in a school bathroom." ...

FL: Florida Boy's Family: Police Told Gun Was Toy (follow-up)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The family of a 13-year-old Florida boy shot by police say officers were told the gun he held was not real."

"Ralph Penley said when he arrived at the Millwee Middle School in suburban Orlando on Friday morning, he told Seminole County Sheriff's deputies his son Christopher only had a replica pistol, CNN said. The boy's younger brother says he told school officials the same thing."

"A deputy said he opened fire when the youth raised the gun toward him. ..."

"Sheriff Don Eslinger said 'as the boy ran from a school resource officer and deputies, he was heard saying: I'm going to kill myself or I'm going to die somehow. At one point, Penley held the gun to his neck, and another time to his head,' Eslinger said."

MN: Pelican Rapids sued for arrest
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A contest by police to nab drunken drivers, doctoring video tapes and manipulating breath test results are at the center of a lawsuit filed in Minnesota�s federal court."

"David W. Sherbrooke, 39, of Pelican Rapids claims the city�s police arrested him without cause and later, to cover it up, altered the tape showing the arrest."

"City prosecutors dropped criminal charges stemming from the July 25, 2004, traffic stop last week against Sherbrooke, who owns a local landscaping company."

"Now his Minneapolis attorney, Kyle Hart, said the civil case against the city, Police Chief Scott Fox and Officers Scott Sachs and Ted Leabo will prove police lied and destroyed evidence in the criminal case." ...

CA: Scores of Police Weapons Are Missing in Long Beach
Submitted by: AvgJoe

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"The Long Beach Police Department is missing more than a fourth of its shotguns and an unknown number of revolvers, officials said Thursday."

"The second-largest police department in Los Angeles County was scrambling to determine whether the guns were lost, stolen or somehow misplaced within the agency. Investigators have uncovered no evidence so far that the firearms found their way into the wrong hands or were used in crimes." ...

"'We have absolutely no idea where the guns are,' said one Long Beach officer familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 'It doesn't seem we'd know if they were used in a crime, and criminals sometimes like shotguns, because you can't match the bullets to the gun.'" ...

CA: 49 Arrested in Internet Child-Molesting Sting
Submitted by: AvgJoe

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"A sting to capture attempted child molesters netted 49 men in Riverside County, including a U.S. Homeland Security agent and a high school teacher ..."

"The arrests, to be aired on a 'Dateline NBC' television segment, followed police-monitored Internet chat room sessions with authorities posing as girls and boys."

"'The men were very descriptive in what kind of sex acts they were going to do to these children,' said Michelle Paradise, a Riverside County deputy district attorney who supervised the sting. ..."

"Among those arrested last weekend were Michael Burks, 30, a Homeland Security agent who was formerly a police officer in La Verne, and Walter Babst, a high school math teacher from La Verne, the prosecutor said." ...

GA: Trial nears for Iraq veterans accused in soldier's murder
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Among the few certainties about the death of Army Spc. Richard Davis, an Iraq War veteran from St. Charles County, is that he was stabbed more than 30 times before his body was burned and left in a patch of woods near Fort Benning, Ga."

"Prosecutors say four war veterans who served with Davis, 25, were involved in the killing. Their trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 23. Three are charged with murder, which carries a life sentence, and other crimes. The fourth is accused of concealing a death."

"The trial in Muscogee County Superior Court in Columbus, Ga., will provide jurors starkly contrasting stories of what led to Davis' death in July 2003, only days after he and the suspects returned to Fort Benning from Iraq. ..." ...

MN: Controversial cop gets medal for shooting
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Police Sgt. Dan May has always maintained that he shot 17-year-old Tycel Nelson in self-defense in 1990. But May is white, Nelson was black, and the teen's death outraged many in the black community."

"Now, the Police Department has given May a Medal of Valor for the shooting, and the old divide is opening up again." ...

"... Nelson was shot in the back; the .22-caliber revolver found at the scene bore no traceable fingerprints linking it to him, and May initially described the suspect he was chasing as wearing a brown leather coat, although Nelson was wearing a black-and-white-striped shirt."

"A grand jury cleared May of any wrongdoing, but the city paid $250,000 to Nelson's family to drop the lawsuit." ...

OH: Deputy's stolen firearms recovered
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Three pistols and a private car that were stolen from a Preble County Sheriff's Department deputy were recovered in Dayton."

"A 20-year-old Dayton man ... was arrested in connection with the theft."

"He is in the Preble County Jail facing preliminary charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and grand theft of firearms."

"The weapons and the car went missing from the deputy's home Wednesday."

"He reported the theft to the Camden Police Department and the Preble County Sheriff's Department was notified and joined the investigation."

"Sheriff Mike Simpson has not released the name of the deputy for now, citing potential difficulties at this point in the investigation. ..." ...

VA: Damages awarded in SWAT raid death
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"The daughters of an 18-year-old woman accidentally killed in a Richmond police SWAT raid seven years ago have won a $1.5 million gross-negligence award in Richmond Circuit Court."

"The jury found an officer, George Ingram, was grossly negligent when he fired five special shotgun rounds called breaching rounds into a door ..."

"According to Cuthbert, Ingram 'was attempting to use a special type of shotgun slug to break open the lock on a kitchen door in order to serve a high-risk search warrant.' Police had developed information that armed men were dealing drugs out of the location ..." ...
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Submitter's Note: The outcome of the raid? The dealer was sentenced to three years in prison for possession with intent to distribute. He thought it was yet another drive-by shooting targeting his house and said he would have opened the door for police.

IL: State investigating Carthage assistant police chief
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"State law enforcement authorities are investigating how the assistant police chief in Carthage, Scott Floyd, came into possession of several weapons."

"Floyd said at a press conference Saturday that the investigation is politically motivated."

"Floyd is running against incumbent John Jefferson for Hancock County Sheriff in November. Floyd said that Alderman Jim Bensinger, who also serves as county jail administrator, initiated the investigation."

"Floyd said he was interviewed by Illinois State Police Department of Criminal Investigations officers last week about three pistols and two rifles that Floyd said he was given several years ago. Floyd said he later traded the pistols for a shotgun to be used for 'police drug training.'" ...

UK: 'Gay horse' case dropped
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"AN OXFORD University student who called a policeman's horse 'gay' will not be prosecuted."

"But police stood by their decision to take him to court for 'homophobic comments' ..."

"Sam Brown, 21, from Belfast, approached the mounted officer ... and said: 'Excuse me, do you realise your horse is gay?' Moments later, two police cars appeared and he was arrested under the Public Order Act."

"English literature graduate Mr Brown ... spent a night in the cells. He refused to pay an �80 fine, so police took the case to court."

"But prosecutor Cariad Eveson-Webb told Oxford magistrates the CPS would not proceed. There was not enough evidence to prove Mr Brown's behaviour was disorderly, he said."

"Thames Valley Police denied being heavy-handed."

Philippines: Cop kills brother-in-law
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A CALOOCAN City policeman shot dead his brother-in-law after the latter tried to kill him on Saturday."

"PO3 Elvis Imperial, 42, of the Caloocan City police-Sub-Station 4 ... surrendered after the incident."

"Supt. Nap Cuaton, chief of the Station Investigation and Detective Management Bureau, said homicide charges were filed against Imperial."

"Cuaton said the victim, Rogelio Belen ... suffered a gunshot wound in the back." ...

"Belen did not believe Imperial. He attacked the cop with his hammer."

"Imperial allegedly pulled his .38- caliber service pistol and shot Belen once in self-defense."

India: Guard killed as cop�s gun goes off
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A SECURITY guard was killed in West Delhi today when a constable accidentally pulled the trigger of his pistol during routine testing, the police said."

"Shiv Charan, 45, a constable at the Police picket in Krishna Park, was testing his 9 mm pistol, when he accidentally triggered it off, killing Abdul Rehman, a security guard who worked in the same locality, the police said. Rehman was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital, where he was declared brought dead." ...

"Shivcharan has been arrested by the Tilak Nagar police and was presented in a local court today. 'It was a case of negligence on the part of the constable and we have registered a case of culpable homicide against him,' said Neeraj Thakur, DCP, West District."

NY: City gun stats show B'klyn up in arms
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"The borough of churches packs heat."

"Brooklyn tops all boroughs in illegal handguns � 38 percent of crime weapons were nabbed there, ahead of 24 percent in The Bronx and 21 percent in Queens, new federal data show."

"Just 14 percent of the guns came from Manhattan and 3 percent were found in Staten Island, according to a newly released report from the first half of 2005."

"The worst of the worst was East New York, Brooklyn, the city's Wild West when it comes to guns."

"The crime-plagued 75th Precinct ranked No. 1 on the list, as 110 illegal guns were grabbed by city cops between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2005, says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." ...

MI: Relatives of land donor want gun club site used as public park
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Grandchildren of a woman who died in 1948 and donated her land to the township for a public use want to evict a gun club that has been on the site for more than 50 years."

"The grandchildren of Mina Wilcox want the land used by the Elk Rapids Sportsman's Club converted to a public park. But local officials are worried about who might pay for likely lead contamination at the Antrim County site."

"Officials haven't yet done an environmental assessment, but it is practically inevitable that the property is laced with significant amounts of lead, township supervisor Bill White said." ...

NV: Give it your best shot at Vegas shop's gun range
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Plenty of people get a bang out of Vegas."

"Not many get a dozen bangs per second."

"That's the speed bullets fly from rented machine guns at the Gun Shop, a Vegas institution two doors down from the Happy Days Childcare Center."

"For as little as $35, any adult can fire 50 rounds at the shop's indoor shooting range. For an extra $1.25, you can aim at a special target of a burglar, a hostage taker or, most popular, Osama bin Laden."

"The store advertises at the airport, in tourist magazines and in cabs."

"Many customers are from outside the United States, where it's rare to see a gun, let alone shoot a military-issue weapon. Many seek out weapons they've seen in films." ...

PA: Lower Frederick addresses gun club issues
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Lower Frederick residents have voiced complaints regarding stray bullets, traveling as far as five miles, at two public meetings recently."

"The ... Board of Supervisors and the ... School Board heard from concerned residents about bullets landing on their properties, which are close to the Swamp Creek Rod and Gun Club ..."

"'It is imperative that we get this straightened out,' said Lower Frederick Supervisor William McGovern. 'The gun club is being responsible; they have given us a proposal to look at to make it safe.'"

"'We are trying to limit the shooting of high-powered rifles in the township, said Lower Frederick Township Manager Bob Kimmel. "... we want to pass an ordinance that would make them illegal in the township.'" ...

OR: Gun range proposal could be put to county's voters
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A firearms group interested in establishing a shooting range nine miles north of Bandon must soon decide whether it wants the controversial idea put before voters."

"Coos County legal counsel David Koch said Bob Main, the president of the Tioga Sports Park Association, has indicated the group may be interested in redirecting its efforts for the proposed 220-acre Tioga Sports Park just north of Whisky Run Lane in the Coos County Forest."

"The Tioga Association's plan includes a 'concessionaire agreement' with the county, allowing the group to develop, operate and maintain a portion of the county park as a gun range. Koch said he was told the group may be interested in leasing the property from the county instead ..." ...

Canada: Gun posers caught on film
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Police have laid weapons charges for the second time in a week after receiving tips from local photo labs about teens posing with guns."

"The latest arrests resulted from a call to police on Jan. 6 after a clerk noticed images of someone handling and posing with a firearm, police said."

"After identifying individuals in the photos, police set up surveillance outside a central Hamilton residence."

"Police said they saw a woman get out of a taxi on Thursday, enter the residence and come out carrying a long, black bag."

"Officers stopped the taxi on the central Mountain and found a loaded AR-15 military assault rifle inside the bag."

"The two occupants of the car were arrested and face numerous firearms-related charges ..." ...

Libya: Watchdog wants Libya to release Gaddafi critic
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has called for the release of a Libyan who criticised Muammar Gaddafi�s government on the Internet, calling him a 'cyber dissident' who symbolised the struggle for free expression in Libya."�

"... Abdel Raziq Al Mansuri was convicted in a Tripoli court last October of illegal possession of a pistol and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, according to Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders."�

"Both rights groups say the charge was a ruse. 'The real reason for his arrest and conviction was almost certainly the articles he had been writing for nearly a year for a dissident web site based in London,' said the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders in a statement on Friday." ...
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Submitter's Note: But all they did was 'enforce the existing laws'.