Legal Sophistry
The lawyer for Azim Ibragimov, twenty-five years of age, claims his client, although involved in the firebombing of a Jewish boys' school, along with a Jewish community centre on September 2, 2006, should not be held fully accountable for his part in the crime, because he was a follower. The planning of the crimes happened to be the brainchild of his colleague, Omar Bulphred, twenty-three years of age.Three years' probation, lawyer Gaetan Bourassa insists, should suffice to teach the malefactor a lesson. Whereas Crown attorney Mario Dufresne's argument was somewhat different. This was not an unfortunate case of vandalism and and of itself, an antic indulged in by bored young men to create a diversion, to entertain themselves. This was an attack on a specific community.
"The goal was not to just damage property but to cause fear and intimidate ... the Jewish community", in asking for a four-year sentence. The lawyer for the defence disagrees; his client was guilty only of obeying his friend's directives. The older of the two accused is painted as immature, the helpful agent of a more forceful personality owned by the younger accused.
Who himself faces nine charges. Yet the older man has pleaded guilty to three counts of using fire or an explosive to cause damage to property, and one of uttering threats. They're charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to kidnap and to forcibly confine an individual, along with charges of explosives possession.
They're also charged with one count of damage by fire or explosion to a car. They've uttered death threats against a member of the Jewish community; threatened property damage or destruction to the Jewish community. These were no mere bored young men, but young men with an obvious Jew-baiting, Jew-hating agenda they planned to follow through on.
Terrorism by any other name. Jail terms tend to teach some lessons in civility when society insists that societal punishments follow societal crimes. Both men should be given sufficient incarceration time to allow them to think introspectively about living communally respectful lives in Canada.
Labels: Anti-Semitism
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, October 16, 2008
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