Anonymous Hacktivist Jeremy Hammond has received the maximum sentence of 10 years for an act of Civil Disobedience, hacking into the networks of the private intelligence firm Stratfor.
The data from the hack was subsequently released in February 2012 by Wikileaks as the Global Intelligence Files http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html
While Hammond plead guilty to the charges, the 10 year sentence is extremely harsh when compared to 3 year sentences of other Anoymous Hacktivists in the UK. Chief judge Preska claimed that ”The most significant fact in Hammond’s history is his unrepentant recidivism.”
However it is also important to note an unaddressed conflict of interest concerning the listing of Judge Preska’s husband Thomas Kavaler’s among the Stratfor documents. Implying that he has previously worked for Stratfor, a charge he denies.
The following extract is from a statement made by Hammond on November 15th, the day of his sentencing.
Jeremy Hammond –
The acts of civil disobedience and direct action that I am being sentenced for today are in line with the principles of community and equality that have guided my life. I hacked into dozens of high profile corporations and government institutions, understanding very clearly that what I was doing was against the law, and that my actions could land me back in federal prison. But I felt that I had an obligation to use my skills to expose and confront injustice—and to bring the truth to light.
Could I have achieved the same goals through legal means? I have tried everything from voting petitions to peaceful protest and have found that those in power do not want the truth to be exposed. When we speak truth to power we are ignored at best and brutally suppressed at worst. We are confronting a power structure that does not respect its own system of checks and balances, never mind the rights of it’s own citizens or the international community.
The statement can be read in full at FreeAnons.org
Jeremy Hammond’s has shown great courage in making a stand against the surveillance state.
Show your support at http://freejeremy.net/