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A6   WORLD NEWS
                       Tuesday 9 July 2024
            French court rules American man detained after ‘So I raped you’

            Facebook message can be extradited



            By  NICOLAS  VAUX-MON-                                                                                              er had written in a string of
            TAGNY  and  MARYCLAIRE                                                                                              messages.
            DALE                                                                                                                “I’ll  never  do  it  to  anyone
            Associated Press                                                                                                    ever again.”
            LYON,  France  (AP)  —  A                                                                                           “I need to hear your voice.”
            French court ruled on Mon-                                                                                          “I’ll pray for you.”
            day that the American man                                                                                           The  AP  doesn’t  typically
            accused of sexually assault-                                                                                        identify  sexual  assault  vic-
            ing a Pennsylvania college                                                                                          tims without their permission,
            student  in  2013  and  later                                                                                       which  Keeler  has  granted.
            sending  her  a  Facebook                                                                                           The  accuser’s  lawyer  in
            message  that  said,  “So  I                                                                                        Pennsylvania,  reached  on
            raped you,” can be extra-                                                                                           Monday, declined to com-
            dited to the United States.                                                                                         ment on the development.
            Ian Cleary, 31, of Saratoga,                                                                                        According to the June 2021
            California, was detained in                                                                                         warrant, police verified that
            April  in  the  city  of  Metz  in                                                                                  the  Facebook  account
            northeastern France after a                                                                                         used to send the messages
            three-year  search.  He  has                                                                                        belonged  to  Ian  Cleary.
            been held in custody pend-                                                                                          Adams  County  District  At-
            ing extradition proceedings                                                                                         torney  Brian  Sinnett,  who
            since his arrest.                                                                                                   filed  it,  declined  to  com-
            The Court of Appeal in Metz                                                                                         ment  on  developments
            said that Cleary can be ex-                                                                                         when reached Monday.
            tradited. When asked if he                                                                                          After  leaving  Gettysburg,
            wished to be extradited or   This wanted poster provided by the U.S. Marshals shows Ian Cleary, of Saratoga, Calif.   Cleary earned undergradu-
            not, in line with French law,                                                                      Associated Press  ate and graduate degrees
            Cleary refused, prosecutors                                                                                         from  Santa  Clara  Univer-
            said  in  a  statement  Mon-  detained in France.         crimes.                      Shannon  Keeler,  had  a  sity, near his family home in
            day. His  refusal  may delay  Justice   Ministry   officials  The  arrest  warrant  ac-  rape exam done the same  California, worked for Tesla,
            the extradition process, but  didn’t immediately respond  cuses  Cleary  of  stalking  day  she  was  assaulted  in  and then moved to France
            it won’t stop it.            to a request for comment.    an  18-year-old  Gettysburg  2013. She gathered witness-  for  several  years,  accord-
            The  ruling  is  final.  Cleary’s  Cleary  had  been  the  sub-  College student at a party,  es and evidence and spent  ing  to  his  website,  which
            case  is  now  the  responsi-  ject  of  an  international  sneaking into her dorm and  years urging officials to file  describes his self-published
            bility  of  the  French  Justice  search  since  authorities  in  sexually assaulting her while  charges.           medieval fiction.
            Ministry,  which  must  pre-  Pennsylvania issued a 2021  she texted friends for help.    She  went  to  authorities  Keeler,   originally   from
            pare and submit the extra-   felony  warrant  in  the  case  He was a 20-year-old Get-  again in 2021 after discov-  Moorestown,  New  Jersey,
            dition  order  for  the  French  weeks after an Associated  tysburg student at the time,  ering  the  Facebook  mes-  stayed on to graduate from
            prime  minister.  While  he  Press story detailed the re-  but  didn’t  return  to  cam-  sages that seemed to come  Gettysburg  and  help  lead
            awaits  the  prime  minister’s  luctance of local prosecu-  pus.                       from Cleary’s account.       the women’s lacrosse team
            signature,  Cleary  remains  tors  to  pursue  campus  sex  The  Gettysburg  accuser,  “So I raped you,” the send-  to a national title.q


            Deforestation in Colombia fell to historic lows in 2023, environment


            minister says


             By STEVEN GRATTAN            ment  said  Monday,  mark-  rainforest,  including  about  vowed  to  halt  record-high  dissident  groups  of  FARC
             Associated Press             ing  the  lowest  level  since  one-third of it in Colombia,  rates of deforestation in the  guerrillas forbidding defores-
             BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) —  records began. The decline  the  government  of  leftist  Amazon by limiting agribusi-    tation. Muhamad said Mon-
             Deforestation  in  Colombia  was driven by a drop in envi-  President Gustavo Petro said.  ness expansion into the for-  day the strong presence of
             fell  36%  in  2023  versus  the  ronmental destruction in the  Deforestation fell nationwide  est and by creating reserves  government armed forces in
             previous  year,  the  govern-  Amazon, the world’s largest  to about 792 square kilome-  where Indigenous communi-  these areas as well as prog-
                                                                      ters (about 305 square miles)  ties and others are allowed  ress made with peace talks
                                                                      in  2023,  down  from  about  to harvest rubber, acai and  will be key to maintaining a
                                                                      1,235  square  kilometers  other non-timber forest prod-  downward trend.
                                                                      (about 477 square miles) a  ucts.                         But next year’s figures don’t
                                                                      year earlier. A little over half  Advancing  peace  talks  look as promising. A signifi-
                                                                      of the deforestation came in  between  the  government  cant  rise  in  deforestation
                                                                      the Amazon.                  and guerrilla groups in the  has  already  been  record-
                                                                      The decrease “means that  area,  along  with  financial  ed due to the effects of dry
                                                                      44,262  hectares  of  forest  incentives for farmers in the  weather caused by El Nino,
                                                                      stopped being cut down,”  Amazon  to  help  with  con-    Muhamad said, which is a
                                                                      Environment Minister Susana  servation,  drove  the  drop.  weather phenomenon that
                                                                      Muhamad told journalists.    It came after deforestation  warms  the  central  Pacific.
                                                                      “It is very good news, but we  had fallen about 29% in 2022.  Mass cattle ranching, drug
                                                                      definitely cannot say that the  Environmental experts over  crops and illegal mining and
                                                                      battle is won. We continue  past years have said the de-  logging  continue  to  drive
            An illegal gold mining operation that contributed to deforestation   to confront illicit economies.”  crease in deforestation was  deforestation in the Andean
            is visible in Magui Payan, Colombia, April 20, 2021.      When elected in 2022, Petro  also likely tied to orders from  nation, Muhamad said. q
                                                     Associated Press
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