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April 13, 2012

Prisoner Sentenced to 17 Years Despite Free Speech Claims 
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And U.S. citizen and Boston area resident whose terrorism conviction
sparked allegations of trampling free speech has been sentenced to 17
and a half years behind bars. Tarek Mehanna was found guilty last year
of "conspiring to support" al-Qaeda and other terrorism charges. The FBI
initially courted Mehanna to become an informant following his 2009
arrest but he winded up being jailed in solitary confinement. The jury
rejected the defense's argument Mehanna was acting well within his First
Amendment rights when he posted online that he supported Muslims
resisting U.S. occupation. On Thursday, more than 300 supporters packed
a federal courtroom in Massachusetts in support of Mehanna at his
sentencing.



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