Aaron Swartz's Estate Seeks Release of Documents 131
theodp writes "The Boston Globe reports that the estate of Aaron Swartz filed a motion in federal court in Boston Friday to allow the release of documents in the case that has generated national controversy over the U.S. attorney's aggressive pursuit of a stiff sentence. The Court filing (PDF) suggests that the U.S. attorney's office is still up for jerking Aaron around a little posthumously, seeking what his lawyers termed overbroad redactions, including names and titles that are already publicly known. Swartz's family also seeks the return of his seized property (PDF). Last week, Swartz's girlfriend accused MIT of dragging its feet on investigating his suicide. Meanwhile, Slate's Justin Peters asks if the Justice Department learned anything from the Aaron Swartz case, noting that Matthew Keys, who faces 25 years in prison for crimes that include aiding-and-abetting the display of humorously false content, could replace Swartz as the poster boy for prosecutorial overreach."
Political attack (Score:5, Interesting)
As I said in the previous story [slashdot.org] about CISPA, the relationship between you and your government is not what you were brought up to believe it is.
Aaron Swartz wasn't attacked because of that nonsense copyright infringement charge, he was attacked because he was very instrumental in the fight against SOPA.
Bradley Manning was not attacked just because of the leaks of some documents, governments leak selective documents all the time. He was attacked because he showed part of the true face, part of the true cost to the military invasion - the US government is involved in destroying individuals, freedoms of individuals around the world.
These people are political dissidents in USA, the system is set to destroy them because they attacked the system.
Re:Investigation....? (Score:5, Interesting)
Comments that draw attention to the political angle of this story (and it's all political) are moded as "overrated [slashdot.org]", there are people who don't like this simple truth: the government is attacking dissidents, Aaron Swartz, Bradley Manning are dissidents. There are many others as well.
Here is an excerpt FTFA
The estate of Aaron Swartz, the Internet activist who was charged with hacking by the federal government and later committed suicide
- see, the very first sentence. What is the tone of TFA?
1. Aaron was an Internet hacker.
2. He committed suicide.
That's the first sentence. That's the tone. That's the soundbite.
Here is what is not the tone and it should be:
1. Aaron was standing up against illegal grab of power by Congress.
2. Aaron was attacked by the government, lost all of his money that he made from his businesses in that legal battle and was facing what could amount to life in prison (really, 30 years is life AFAIC) and that's what gave him this depression. He was not paranoid, they were after him, he became the enemy of the state.
Re:Political attack (Score:5, Interesting)
That's also why the authorities don't really mind when decorated war veterans are killed by police at political protests (as happened in Oakland a couple of years ago). They tend to be cheering when cops beat and pepper-spray and arrest people who's sole crime is standing on a sidewalk holding a sign.
You should also mention Julian Assange, who has never stepped foot in the United States and has never been subject to its laws. The reason that Assange isn't going to Sweden to face the "sex-by-surprise" charges is that he could not get a guarantee that the Swedes would not immediately turn him over to the US, and he also couldn't get a guarantee from the US that he would receive anything remotely similar to a fair trial.
And I should mention that roman_mir and I have very different political leanings. But we can both agree that this kind of thing is wrong and illegal.
Justice is not responsible for Swartz's suicide (Score:2, Interesting)
If it were, then it would be responsible for any suicide for someone with an impending prosecution.
Justice is not responsible for Swartz illegally downloading millions of documents in the JSTOR case, nor for his similar behavior two years prior in the PACER case. His reaction in the former case is still posted: [aaronsw.com]
Wanted by the FBI
I got my FBI file today. (Request yours!) As I hoped, it’s truly delightful.
Re:Keys will take a plea deal (Score:5, Interesting)
If so, it's an unethical show. Consider:
I walk in to a liquor store with a loaded AK-47 and say "please give me all of your money". Naturally, the shop owner complies. Later, in court if I say the AK was 'just for show' and I thought the guy was just generous, do we all have a laugh and go home or am I still on trial for armed robbery?
In other words, if they're threatening him with 30 years to induce him to plead guilty and take a deal, it is NOT just for show, it is a very real threat.
Re:Investigation....? (Score:4, Interesting)
According to the egg shell skull doctrine, you are responsible even if your victim was unusually vulnerable.