Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 27 March 2018

Elizabeth Smart demands porn bill backer stop using her name

By MICHELLE R. SMITH human trafficking harder to Kentucky have been dis-
Associated Press access. missed.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Sevier said he chose Smart's Sevier was sentenced
proposal targeting online name because she has to probation after being
pornography and human spoken about the negative found guilty in 2014 of ha-
trafficking billed as the effects of pornography, rassment threats against
"Elizabeth Smart Law" has including saying that por- country singer John Rich.
grabbed headlines for its nography during her cap- Sevier previously told the
unusual approach: require tivity "made my living hell AP he didn't do anything
a filter that can be lifted worse." wrong, and that the case
with a $20 fee. After being told by AP ear- came after a variety of
But Smart, who was kid- lier this month that Smart's lawsuits between the two
napped from her Utah lawyer was sending a men.
home as a teenager in cease-and-desist letter, The bills introduced around
2002, sent a cease-and- Sevier said the name "Eliza- the country differ in some
desist letter to demand her beth Smart Law" was an details but generally in-
name be removed from it. "offhand name" that had clude requiring internet
And the National Center been given to the legisla- service providers, or those
on Sexual Exploitation, an tion by lawmakers. The bill who sell devices that con-
anti-pornography advoca- is also being promoted as nect to the internet, to in-
cy group, demanded last the Human Trafficking and stall a filter that screens out
year that the man behind Child Exploitation Preven- obscene material or sites
the legislation, Chris Sevier, tion Act. that facilitate prostitution.
stop claiming it supported "Obviously, we're not try- The blocking can be lifted
his work. ing to hurt Elizabeth Smart, with a $20 payment. Re-
Despite those issues, con- for god's sake," Sevier said. publicans and Democrats
stitutional concerns raised "We don't really care what have pushed it in different
by groups including the it's called. We just want it to states.
American Civil Liberties pass. And we're going to Both the EFF and American
Union, and a history of out- This 2014 booking photo released by the Metropolitan Nashville see to it that it passes, and Civil Liberties Union say it's
Police Department shows Mark "Chris" Sevier after his arrest for
landish lawsuits from Sevier harassment threats against country singer John Rich. the law is on our side." well-established that the
including trying to marry his (Metropolitan Nashville PD via AP) A federal judge in Utah on idea is unconstitutional, in-
computer as a statement March 16 threw out a law- cluding because it would
against same-sex mar- es the idea, has tracked for a hearing Tuesday . suit from Sevier that target- install a censorship filter
riage, similar bills pushed by around two dozen similar Sevier and those who sup- ed gay marriage by argu- onto everyone's computer
Sevier keep popping up in bills in 18 state legislatures port the idea say that it ing that he should be able that would screen out law-
state legislatures. this year, none of which would protect children and to marry his laptop. Similar ful content. A spokesman
The Electronic Frontier have passed. A bill in others by making pornog- lawsuits in Texas, Tennes- for Smart said she has noth-
Foundation, which oppos- Rhode Island is scheduled raphy and sites that allow see, South Carolina and ing to do with it.q
Secretive group's leader charged with sex-trafficking

By TOM HAYS appear in court on Tuesday or be publicly humiliated, that many victims partici- to stick to very low-calorie
NEW YORK (AP) — The in Fort Worth on the charg- the complaint says. pated in videotaped cer- diets and document every
leader of a secretive group es filed by federal prosecu- The name of Raniere's at- emonies where they were food they ate. As punish-
in upstate New York turned tors in Brooklyn. torney wasn't immediately branded in their pelvic ment for not following or-
female followers into brain- According to the com- available on Monday. In area with a symbol featur- ders, women were forced
washed "slaves" who were plaint, Raniere — known a letter attributed to Ra- ing Raniere's initials. to attend classes where
branded with his initials and within the group as "Van- niere previously posted on "During the branding cer- they were "forced to wear
coerced into having sex, guard" — oversaw a bar- a website related to Nx- emonies, slaves were re- fake cow udders over their
authorities alleged on Mon- baric system in which ivm, he denied the prac- quired to be fully naked, breasts while people called
day in a criminal complaint women were told the best tices were sanctioned by and the master would or- them derogatory names,"
charging him with sex-traf- way to advance was to the self-described self-help der one slave to film while or threatened with being
ficking. become a "slave" overseen group. the other held down the put in cages, court papers
Keith Raniere, co-founder by "masters." They also were "These allegations are most slave being branded," the say. After authorities took
of the group called Nxivm, expected to have sex with disturbing to me as non- complaint says. him into custody on a U.S.
was arrested in Mexico and him and do menial chores violence is one of my most Investigators said Raniere warrant, investigators said
returned to Texas Monday, for masters, and to keep important values," the let- preferred exceptionally the women got into a high-
authorities said. He was to the arrangement a secret ter said. The complaint said thin women, so "slaves" had speed car chase.q