|
Well, as a webmaster he would have been fully aware of the contents of the site(s) that he was maintaining - and if the content breached US law, then he has to accept responsibility for his actions. I don't know what was on those sites and how 'bad' they were, so I can't comment on whether it was justified to arrest the man in the first place.
That said, the Patriot Act is a very alien piece of legislation to US citizens - having been used to (almost) unbridled free speech, having that free speech limited to such a degree has become something of a shock and I get the feeling that he was unaware of the consequences of his actions (although that it no legal defence under US law).
Personally, I would have favoured a visit by a couple of FBI agents pointing out the sites breached the law and asking him to take them down immediately - if he then failed to carry out the instructions within 24 hours, then throw the book at him.
These 'Patriot Act' cases are unusual animals in US legal history - they are very much comparible to Cuba's gaoling of 27 journalists last march on charges that they were working with the US "against the independence and territorial integrity of the state". The latter action was rightly criticised by the US & international press and governments alike - Patriot Act cases on almost identical charges and evidence garner little attention. An odd state of affairs.
|