Latest news with #advocacygroups
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Some domestic violence victims in Maine will now be able to get electronic notifications before their abuser is released from jail
Some domestic violence victims in Maine will now be able to get electronic notifications before their abuser is released from jail
Arab News
6 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
French court sentences former surgeon to 20 years for raping 299 children
A 74-year-old pedophile and former surgeon who raped hundreds of victims over a period spanning more than two decades was given a maximum 20-year prison sentence on Friday by a French Le Scouarnec was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting 299 followed the public prosecutor's recommendations regarding the length of the sentence and the criminal court of Morbihan ordered that Le Scouarnec should serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before he can be eligible for Scouarnec is already serving a 15-year prison sentence, for a conviction in 2020 for the rape and sexual assault of four children, including two new trial in Brittany, western France, began in February and laid bare a pattern of abuse between 1989 and 2014. Most of the victims were unconscious or sedated hospital patients at the time of the assaults. The average age was 11. Among the victims were 158 boys and 141 of inactionDuring the trial, advocacy groups have accused health authorities of inaction after they were notified as soon as 2005 of Le Scouarnec's conviction for possessing child pornography the time, no measures were taken to suspend his medical license or limit his contact with children and Le Scouarnec continued his abuse in hospitals until his arrest in 2017.'Should Joël Le Scouarnec have been the only one in the defendant's box?' prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger asked during his closing arguments.'More could have been done,' Kellenberger said. 'Things could have been done differently, even within the notorious layers of French bureaucracy, where responsibilities are so often passed from one authority to another until, eventually, that responsibility is lost, and hits innocent lives.'Le Scouarnec has confessed to all the sexual abuse alleged by the 299 civil parties, as well as to other assaults that are now beyond the statute of limitations. In a shocking admission during the trial, he also acknowledged sexually abusing his granddaughter — a statement made in front of her visibly distraught Scouarnec had been convicted in 2005 for possessing and importing child sexual abuse material and sentenced to four months of suspended prison time. Despite that conviction, he was appointed as a hospital practitioner the following year. Child protection groups that have joined the proceedings as civil parties hope that the case will help strengthen the legal framework to prevent such taboosLe Scouarnec's trial came as activists continue to push to dismantle taboos that have long surrounded sexual abuse in France. The most prominent case was that of Gisèle Pélicot, who was drugged and raped by her now ex-husband and dozens of other men who were convicted and sentenced in December to three to 20 years in a separate case focusing on alleged abuse at a Catholic school, an inquiry commission of the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, is investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse over five of Le Scouarnec have, however, complained of a perceived lack of attention.'This trial, which could have served as an open-air laboratory to expose the serious failings of our institutions, seems to leave no mark on the government, the medical community, or society at large,' a group of victims said in a notebooksNot all victims were initially aware they had been abused. Some were contacted by investigators after their names appeared in journals kept by Le Scouarnec, in which he meticulously documented his crimes. Others only realized they had been hospitalized at the time after checking medical records. Two of his victims took their own lives some years before the the cover of medical procedures, the former abdominal and digestive surgeon took advantage of moments when children were alone in their hospital rooms. His method was to disguise sexual abuse as clinical care, targeting young patients who were unlikely to remember the notebooks, which detail the abuse in graphic language, have become central to the prosecution's the scope of the allegations, Le Scouarnec has remained calm and composed throughout the trial.'I didn't see them as people,' he told the court. 'They were the destination of my fantasies. As the trial went on, I began to see them as individuals, with emotions, anger, suffering and distress.'He said his first act of abuse occurred in 1985, when he raped his 5-year-old and emotionlessWhile he offered apologies to some victims, his demeanor struck many as detached and emotionless.'I don't show emotion, that's just how I am,' he said. 'That doesn't mean I don't feel it, but I don't express it.'The case first came to light in April 2017, when a 6-year-old neighbor told her mother that the man next door had exposed himself and touched her through the fence separating their properties.A search of his home uncovered more than 300,000 photos, 650 pedophilic, zoophilic and scatological video files, as well as notebooks where he described himself as a pedophile and detailed his actions.'Joël Le Scouarnec says he no longer feels any sexual attraction to children, but there's no way to verify that,' Kellenberger, the prosecutor, told the court. 'Experts concluded that we cannot rely on his word alone and that his potential for future danger remains significant.'A third trial is expected in the coming years, following the emergence of new allegations during this trial, including further abuse involving his granddaughter.
Globe and Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
French court sentences former surgeon to 20 years for raping, sexually assaulting 299 children
A 74-year-old pedophile and former surgeon who raped hundreds of victims over a period spanning more than two decades was given a maximum 20-year prison sentence on Friday by a French court. Joel Le Scouarnec was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting 299 children. Judges followed the public prosecutor's recommendations regarding the length of the sentence and the criminal court of Morbihan ordered that Le Scouarnec should serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before he can be eligible for release. Le Scouarnec is already serving a 15-year prison sentence, for a conviction in 2020 for the rape and sexual assault of four children, including two nieces. The new trial in Brittany, western France, began in February and laid bare a pattern of abuse between 1989 and 2014. Most of the victims were unconscious or sedated hospital patients at the time of the assaults. The average age was 11. Among the victims were 158 boys and 141 girls. During the trial, advocacy groups have accused health authorities of inaction after they were notified as soon as 2005 of Le Scouarnec's conviction for possessing child pornography pictures. At the time, no measures were taken to suspend his medical license or limit his contact with children and Le Scouarnec continued his abuse in hospitals until his arrest in 2017. 'Should Joel Le Scouarnec have been the only one in the defendant's box?' prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger asked during his closing arguments. 'More could have been done,' Kellenberger said. 'Things could have been done differently, even within the notorious layers of French bureaucracy, where responsibilities are so often passed from one authority to another until, eventually, that responsibility is lost, and hits innocent lives.' Le Scouarnec has confessed to all the sexual abuse alleged by the 299 civil parties, as well as to other assaults that are now beyond the statute of limitations. In a shocking admission during the trial, he also acknowledged sexually abusing his granddaughter – a statement made in front of her visibly distraught parents. Le Scouarnec had been convicted in 2005 for possessing and importing child sexual abuse material and sentenced to four months of suspended prison time. Despite that conviction, he was appointed as a hospital practitioner the following year. Child protection groups that have joined the proceedings as civil parties hope that the case will help strengthen the legal framework to prevent such abuse. Le Scouarnec's trial came as activists continue to push to dismantle taboos that have long surrounded sexual abuse in France. The most prominent case was that of Gisele Pelicot, who was drugged and raped by her now ex-husband and dozens of other men who were convicted and sentenced in December to three to 20 years in prison. In a separate case focusing on alleged abuse at a Catholic school, an inquiry commission of the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, is investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse over five decades. Victims of Le Scouarnec have, however, complained of a perceived lack of attention. 'This trial, which could have served as an open-air laboratory to expose the serious failings of our institutions, seems to leave no mark on the government, the medical community, or society at large,' a group of victims said in a statement. Not all victims were initially aware they had been abused. Some were contacted by investigators after their names appeared in journals kept by Le Scouarnec, in which he meticulously documented his crimes. Others only realized they had been hospitalized at the time after checking medical records. Two of his victims took their own lives some years before the trial. Using the cover of medical procedures, the former abdominal and digestive surgeon took advantage of moments when children were alone in their hospital rooms. His method was to disguise sexual abuse as clinical care, targeting young patients who were unlikely to remember the encounters. The notebooks, which detail the abuse in graphic language, have become central to the prosecution's case. Despite the scope of the allegations, Le Scouarnec has remained calm and composed throughout the trial. 'I didn't see them as people,' he told the court. 'They were the destination of my fantasies. As the trial went on, I began to see them as individuals, with emotions, anger, suffering and distress.' He said his first act of abuse occurred in 1985, when he raped his 5-year-old niece. While he offered apologies to some victims, his demeanour struck many as detached and emotionless. 'I don't show emotion, that's just how I am,' he said. 'That doesn't mean I don't feel it, but I don't express it.' The case first came to light in April 2017, when a 6-year-old neighbour told her mother that the man next door had exposed himself and touched her through the fence separating their properties. A search of his home uncovered more than 300,000 photos, 650 pedophilic, zoophilic and scatological video files, as well as notebooks where he described himself as a pedophile and detailed his actions. 'Joel Le Scouarnec says he no longer feels any sexual attraction to children, but there's no way to verify that,' Kellenberger, the prosecutor, told the court. 'Experts concluded that we cannot rely on his word alone and that his potential for future danger remains significant.' A third trial is expected in the coming years, following the emergence of new allegations during this trial, including further abuse involving his granddaughter.
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
‘Total Control' To AI Firms: U.S. House Bill Barring State Oversight Draws Ire
US President Trump gestures as CEO of Open AI Sam Altman speaks in the Roosevelt Room at the White ... More House on January 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) A provision tucked into a sweeping U.S. House Republican budget bill is igniting a contentious fight over artificial intelligence regulation in the United States. The measure would ban states from enforcing or enacting AI-related legislation for ten years, effectively overriding a wave of new and pending state-level laws protecting consumers, mitigating algorithmic bias and setting guardrails on emerging technologies. Introduced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee under Chairman Brett Guthrie, the proposal has incited swift condemnation from state attorneys general, children's advocacy organizations and civil society groups. Advocates warn it would hand expansive leeway to AI companies at a time when oversight is urgently needed and when federal rules remain vague or largely absent. Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, including officials from California, New York and Ohio, wrote a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to scrap the provision. 'Imposing a broad moratorium on all state action while Congress fails to act in this area is irresponsible and deprives consumers of reasonable protections,' they wrote. Separately, a coalition of 77 advocacy groups argued in a letter on Wednesday that the bill would silence states without offering federal protections in return. 'By wiping out all existing and future state AI laws without putting new federal protections in place, AI companies would get exactly what they want: no rules, no accountability and total control,' the coalition wrote. 'It ties lawmakers' hands for a decade, sidelining policymakers and leaving families on their own.' The bill's language is noticeably broad: It defines AI as any computational process using machine learning, statistical modeling, or data analytics that influences human decision-making, and it would prohibit states from legislating around AI design, documentation, liability and performance. That scope, legal experts say, could derail a wide range of initiatives, from whistleblower protections to rules for algorithmic social media feeds and AI-generated deepfakes. The legislative push comes as Congress faces mounting pressure to regulate AI, but, critics argue, has failed to pass any meaningful legislation governing AI systems to date. California, Colorado and Utah have already passed laws governing cross-sectoral use of AI, and at least 15 other states are considering similar measures. Many states have also launched AI task forces or issued executive orders in the absence of federal leadership. 'States have not had the luxury of waiting for federal action on AI policy,' said the National Association of State Chief Information Officers in a statement opposing the bill, adding that the language in the measure undermines states' efforts to protect citizens. The proposal is a 'short-sighted and ill-conceived plan,' contend Marc Rotenberg, Merve Hickok and Christabel Randolph from the Center for AI and Digital Policy. 'States have established critical new safeguards to protect creators, promote accountability, safeguard children and ensure the reliability of AI,' they said. 'Now, some members of Congress are proposing a ten-year moratorium that would prohibit state legislators from protecting the public.' The issue, advocates warn, becomes all the more burgeoning as AI develops a deeper entrenchment into everyday life — concerns about disinformation, data harvesting and automated decision-making continue to mount, yet federal action remains elusive. Daniel Rodriguez, a professor at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law, said the situation reflects a legally dubious overreach and a broader attempt to shut down state-level momentum, calling the bill 'a shot across the bow'. 'What's bizarre about it is that it paints with this incredibly broad brush a declaration that states should just stay the heck out of this area,' Rodriguez told StateScoop, adding that that's not how preemption generally works. 'What is the federal government doing at the legislative level to promote innovation in the responsible use of AI? What exactly is it doing?' While some industry groups have encouraged the federal move as a way to avoid a patchwork of rules across states, others argue it erodes federalism and hurts innovation by limiting local experimentation. The National Conference of State Legislatures issued its own strong rebuke, warning that the bill would undermine efforts to tailor solutions to local concerns. 'A federally imposed moratorium would not only stifle innovation but potentially leave communities vulnerable in the face of rapidly advancing technologies,' the group stated. Per NCSL's analysis, 48 states and Puerto Rico have introduced AI legislation, and 26 states adopted or enacted at least 75 new AI measures. The bill could stall momentum towards meaningful oversight while offering no viable federal alternative just as states begin to confront critical challenges. Furthermore, the bill could also leave consumers and small businesses vulnerable in the absence of clear standards. '[The moratorium on state AI-related bills] could severely disadvantage consumers, innovators, small and mid-sized businesses and other stakeholders interested in ethical and fair AI design and deployment,' warn Nicol Turner Lee and Josie Stewart at Brookings Institution. At large, federal preemption of stronger state privacy laws hurts everyone, Hayley Tsukayama, associate director of legislative activism at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, wrote in a blog post earlier this month. 'It risks freezing any regulation on the issue for the next decade — a considerable problem given the pace at which companies are developing the technology. Congress does not react quickly and, particularly when addressing harms from emerging technologies, has been far slower to act than states.' If enacted, the bill could undermine existing state privacy laws. The California Privacy Protection Agency and Colorado's attorney general could be prevented from enforcing AI-specific rules already passed or under development. Advocates argue that delaying regulation for a decade is effectively a deregulation agenda. 'The future of AI governance should be built on democratic principles, shared responsibility and a commitment to the public interest,' said Rotenberg, Hickok, and Randolph. 'Not a decade-long silence imposed from above.' In Colorado, for example, several AI companies recently lobbied to delay and weaken the state's landmark AI accountability legislation — a preview of what unchecked industry influence could look like under a regulatory freeze. Tsukayama warned that the moratorium could paralyze AI oversight at a time when vigilance is most needed. 'Even if Congress does nothing on AI for the next ten years, this would still prevent states from stepping into the breach.'
CNN
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump appointee grilled in court about shuttering Homeland Security offices tasked with civil rights oversight
A federal judge said that she had concerns about being 'hoodwinked' by plans put forward in her courtroom Monday by a Trump appointee to rebuild three offices focused on civil rights oversight within the Department of Homeland Security that were eviscerated with mass layoffs set to take effect this week. US District Judge Ana Reyes said that she found the three-plus hours of testimony from the appointee, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Ronald Sartini, to be 'credible.' The judge believed he was working in 'good faith' to come up with proposals for restaffing his office and the two others offices in the case before her, and that if those plans came to quick fruition, there would not be irreparable harm that would justify a court's intervention. The administration's gutting of those offices comes as President Donald Trump is pushing – and at times overstepping – the law in his efforts to quickly fulfill his campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants. Reyes also said that a 'cynical view' of the state of play in the legal challenge was that the administration did not actually intend to restore those offices to their congressionally mandated functions, because their work might slow Trump's mass deportation agenda. She raised the possibility that Sartini's testimony was 'window dressing for the court' to head off the legal case, brought by advocacy groups that work on civil rights issues on behalf of migrants and are challenging the dismantling of those offices. Sartini, who spent 16 years in various career positions within the federal government before his May appointment as CIS ombudsman, told the judge he believed DHS leadership when it told him that the offices would be up and running again. Legal arguments in the case will continue on Tuesday. More than 300 total employees at the CIS ombudsman office, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman were put on administrative leave on March 21, in terminations that will take effect on Friday. Just a handful people – all at the executive level – are currently working across the three offices, Sartini testified Monday. He acknowledged that, particularly at the two offices he does not lead, statutorily mandated work is not being performed. Sartini, however, defended the monthslong shutdown in work that is required by Congress. There was 'nothing' in law 'to preclude' a new administration from 'taking a beat,' he said, to decide whether there was a better way for those offices to operate. Days before its workforce was put on leave, the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties opened an investigation into the controversial arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who remains in detention while a separate court reviews the constitutionality of the administration's efforts to deport him. The challengers in the case before Reyes – the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation, Urban Justice, and the Southern Border Communities Coalition – have put forward examples of complaints they've filed with the oversight offices alleging sexual assault, medical neglect, abuse of force and other alleged civil rights violations by DHS officials. The complaints prompted investigations that apparently halted with the rollout of the mass terminations, according to the court filings, or were filed around the time of the closures, including a complaint alleging due process violations with the administration's deportation of a 10-year-old citizen suffering brain cancer with her undocumented parents. Sartini was pressed Monday about statements made by the administration in March – including in the layoff notices that went out to employees – that those oversight offices were being dissolved entirely. Though he has since been told internally that the administration intended to reopen those offices, Sartini said he was not aware of DHS communicating that change of plans to the public, stakeholders or even the fired employees. He said, that before his formal appointment as CIS ombudsman, he was brought on around the time of the March 21 layoffs to review what duties those offices should be carrying out going forward. 'These offices were not the model of efficiency,' Sartini said, testifying that, before the layoffs, there was mismanagement, dysfunction and a bloated operation that duplicated work that was being done elsewhere in the agency. Sartini is prepared to present to DHS leadership a proposal for rebuilding the offices with new hires, detailees and contractors. But, he said, it would be up to leadership whether his ideas were put into action and there was no meeting scheduled yet for leadership to hear his recommendations. Reyes quizzed the official on how quickly the work could restart once his plans were presented and approved. She also asked a DHS lawyer present at the proceedings to call Sartini's point of contact in leadership mid-hearing to get a date on the books for such a meeting to happen. The lawyer later told Reyes that the leadership official, DHS acting general counsel Joseph Mazzara, was about to get on plane, and so the administration will be filing a response to the judge's query on Tuesday morning, ahead of more arguments on the legal issues in the case.
