A federal prosecutor investigating the sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl by three refugee boys has warned the public that “the spread of false information or inflammatory” speech may be punishable under federal law.
According to The Idaho Statesman:
What is known about the case is that a 5-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted June 2 at the Fawnbrook Apartments. After an investigation, two boys ages 14 and 10 were detained and charged. A third boy involved in the incident, age 7, was not charged. The boys are from Iraqi and Sudanese families, but it’s unclear whether they are refugees or how long they’ve been in the community.
In the weeks following the incident, the internet was ablaze with rumors about what happened and who the perpetrators were, most of them false. The assaulters were often misidentified as Syrian refugees and the incident was frequently exaggerated, according to a report by the Washington Post.
Thus, the Idaho federal prosecutor’s office released a statement as part of an effort to call for civility and accuracy in the investigation.
But in the statement the prosecutor went too far, warning:
The spread of false information or inflammatory or threatening statements about the perpetrators or the crime itself reduces public safety and may violate federal law. We have seen time and again that the spread of falsehoods about refugees divides our communities.
The prosecutor’s warning is a major threat to free speech, as she is not only condemning “threats” but also inflammatory or even false statements.
- See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/06/federal-prosecutor-says-you-can-go-to-jail-for-talking-about-muslim-rape#sthash.c4ajw4mj.dpuf
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