|
Texas
journalist released from jail
By
The Comittee to Protect Journalists
After
a record-breaking detention of more than five months, free-lance
writer Vanessa Leggett walked out of a Texas jail January
4, where she was held for refusing to turn over research materials
about a high-profile murder case to federal prosecutors.
Leggett,
33, is currently writing a book about the 1997 murder of Houston
socialite Doris Angleton. Her research materials include tapes
of interviews she conducted with murder suspect Roger Angleton,
the victim's brother-in-law, shortly before he committed suicide.
On July
6, 2001, U.S. District judge Melinda Harmon asked Leggett
to turn over her materials to a federal grand jury. When she
refused to comply, citing the confidentiality of her sources,
Harmon found Leggett in contempt of court and ordered her
jailed for the entire period of the grand jury investigation,
or 18 months, whichever came first. The journalist turned
herself in on July 20. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld Judge Harmon's ruling
on August 17.
The grand
jury's term expired in October but was extended until January.
"I'm very grateful to be free. I don't think anyone realizes
how precious freedom is until it's threatened or taken away
from them," Leggett told CPJ.
Leggett's
lawyer Mike DeGeurin filed a petition for a writ of certiorari
with the U.S. Supreme Court on December 31 asking for a review
of the appeals court decision. This appeal is important because
Leggett could still be summoned as a witness in any future
trial related to the Angleton murder. She could also receive
another federal grand jury subpoena or face criminal contempt
charges.
"CPJ
hopes today's release marks the end of the unjust persecution
of Vanessa Leggett," said CPJ executive director Ann
Cooper. "The press cannot be free unless journalists
are able to protect the confidentiality of their sources.
Leggett was clearly investigating a news story for public
dissemination and should never have been jailed in the first
place."
Leggett's
release means that Cuba is now the only country in the Western
Hemisphere where a journalist is incarcerated for his or her
work.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is a
nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the defense
of press freedom everywhere. For more information about the
work of CPJ, including information about attacks on journalists
worldwide, visit http://www.cpj.org.
(January
31, 2002)
English
and Spanish versions of this news alert are currently available
on CPJ's Web site (http://www.cpj.org).).
Also, read
CPJ's August 7 letter to U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft
protesting Leggett's incarceration.
|
