Justice Department Uses ‘Conspiracy’ Charges to Curtail Dissent. In one of the latest attacks on free speech and the right to protest, a federal grand jury in Minneapolis has indicted 15 people on felony charges related to protests against Operation Metro Surge last winter. The June 16, 2026, indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize its opponents. The case tests how far prosecutors can go to manufacture a criminal conspiracy based on group chats, social media posts, discussions of protest tactics, and efforts to protect privacy using anti-surveillance precautions.
  • dan1101@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    8 days ago

    Freedom of speech, it’s the first one in the Bill of Rights.

    https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/241

    If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or

    If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured—

    They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

  • tired_fedora@lemmy.ml
    1·
    7 days ago

    Another sad demonstration that Signal, while much preferable over non-encrypted messages, still hard-links your social graph to your phone number, which is often tied to your identity.