A jury has ruled in favor of the state, declaring it a felonious act for the press to record a public official without explicit consent. Despite the gravity of the ruling, corporate media overage is non-existent.
Ademo Mueller has been convicted of 3 felony counts of wiretapping, for daring to record comments made to him by public officials, regarding an assault of a high school student by a police detective. That violent attack was caught on a digital video recording by another student in the cafeteria at West High School in Manchester, New Hampshire. The students then brought the recording to the attention of Mueller, a journalist and founder of police-accountability organization CopBlock. The reporter then telephoned the police department and the high school, seeking comment on the matter, allowing them the opportunity to voice their side of the story and any concerns. Months after the story was broadcast, the reporter was charged with three felony counts of wiretapping for recording those telephone calls.
The student who recorded the actual event was never charged with any crime, however.
The police officer who attacked the student, was never charged with any crime.
You can get more details on the full story in my previous articles:
Reporter Faces 21 Years After Airing Excessive Force Complaint
Press Freedom May Hinge on 'Jury Nullification' as Journalist is Put On Trial
The state's prosecutor charged that Ademo Mueller was a violator of statute NH 570-A-2 in that the communication in question was 1) intercepted, 2) consent of all parties wasn’t gotten, and 3) that the action was done purposely.
That's it. That's all it takes to turn a news reporter into a felon. That's all it takes for the government to put a free person in chains. Never mind the fact that when you call the police department, your communication is recorded, without notice or consent, in clear violation of this law. Never mind the fact that Mueller stated who he was, the organization he represents, and that he was seeking a public comment. Never mind the fact that the school officials, the so-called "victims," never complained to police, but rather that a police officer was ordered to go to them to investigate by his own department. Never mind the fact that the people the journalist was communicating with were public servants, in a public space, operating in a public capacity and without any reasonable expectation of privacy.
We see clearly, that there are two different rules of law now in America. One rule for the public, and another rule for officials. Public servants who can now only be held accountable by their own consent. These people are supposed to be our employees, not our masters. The founding of this nation was entirely based on the rejection of this very tyranny which we now find ourselves living under. What freedom is this that we dare not question our own servants? What liberty is this wearing chains for speaking? What justice is this that is rendered by privilege over right?
Upon the conviction, the state's prosecutor recommended to the judge that Ademo Mueller be sentenced to serve one full year of incarceration at the local jail, with five years of supervision post-release to ensure "good behavior" which, if violated, would then incur three consecutive terms of 1-to-3 years.
The judge sentenced Mueller to one year in jail, with nine months suspended sentence, and three year period in which poor behavior might incur the full weight of a 1-to-3 year sentence.
Be sure to read the full article on the case from Ademo's website:
Jury Deems Ademo GUILTY of Wiretapping for Seeking Accountability
This is the video of the trial:
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