Epstein victims complain about death threats
The US Department of Justice says it has withdrawn thousands of documents and media from the recent publication of investigative files in the Epstein case. Lawyers for almost 100 suspects Victims of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein complained to a New York court that insufficient redactions and incomplete anonymization had “turned their clients’ lives upside down.”
They accused the ministry of serious failings and called on the court to intervene immediately. There is no level of institutional incompetence that can explain the extent of the failure, lawyers Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards wrote. The only task ordered by the court and repeatedly emphasized by the ministry was simple: to black out the names of known victims before publication.
They spoke of thousands of cases in which the government had not adequately redacted names and other personal information. Eight women added their own statements to the letter to Judge Richard M. Berman. One wrote that publishing the files would be “life-threatening.” Another said she received death threats after 51 entries contained her private banking information. She then tried to block credit cards and accounts. Berman scheduled a conference for Wednesday.
The files released by the Justice Department included, among other things, nude images showing the faces of alleged victims, names, email addresses and other information that could be used to personally identify them, which were not or not completely redacted. The ministry spoke of a “technical or human error”.
In a letter to the New York judges overseeing the cases against Epstein and his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said on behalf of the department that it had removed nearly all materials identified by victims or their lawyers, as well as a “significant number” of documents that the government itself identified.
The department also revised its policies for handling disputed documents after victims and their legal representatives requested changes, Clayton wrote. If victims’ documents were complained about, they would be taken down, checked and redacted, “ideally within 24 to 36 hours.”
A section of the Department of Justice website The Epstein Filewhich had provided public court documents from the criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell as well as from civil lawsuits, stopped working on Monday. The AP news agency left a request for comment with the Justice Department.
AP journalists analyzing the files have found several cases in which names are blacked out in one document but visible in other versions of the same file. In other places, names and email addresses are crossed out but not completely obscured so that they are still recognizable. Other text redactions can be easily un-redacted by double-clicking to reveal the underlying text. With regard to nude photographs and pornographic images contained in the Epstein files, the Justice Department has stated that the women depicted were viewed as possible victims and were therefore defaced accordingly. (ap)
Latvia: Police investigate Epstein files
In Latvia, police have launched an investigation into the Epstein files after the Baltic EU country emerged as a possible recruiting site for young women and minors in newly released documents. The General Prosecutor’s Office in Riga also announced that it would investigate the information that has now become known in the case of the convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This was reported by the Leta news agency and the Latvian Radio.
The US Department of Justice published further investigation files into the Epstein case on Friday. According to investigations by Latvian media, the documents indicate that Latvia was one of the places where young women and minors were recruited for Epstein’s criminal purposes. Latvia is mentioned more than 500 times in the documents in various contexts, and the capital Riga even more than 800 times.
According to media reports, the published files contain the names of several Latvian models and modeling agencies as well as Epstein’s personal correspondence with Latvian young women. It was also said that women from Latvia could have been his assistants. The published files also contain passports of Latvian young women, flight tickets to and from Riga and hotel reservations in the Latvian capital. (dpa)
Clinton willing to testify
Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have agreed to testify before the US Congress as part of the investigation into the Epstein scandal. In doing so, they want to forestall impending proceedings for contempt of Congress, like the US broadcaster CNN and the New York Times reported unanimously.
Allegations of political motives
The Clintons’ lawyers told the US House of Representatives committee that the couple would be willing to testify in person and under oath at mutually agreed upon dates. The two Democrats had previously refused for months to testify in the US Congress on the investigation into the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. At the same time, they accused the Republican chairman of the oversight committee, James Comer, of conducting a politically motivated process.
It was initially unclear whether Comer would now accept the Clintons’ offer. The Republican leadership had recently initiated proceedings against the Clintons for contempt of Congress. A conviction of a former US president in such a case would be unique. (dpa)
Trial begins against son of Norway’s crown princess
The trial against Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s eldest son has begun in the Norwegian capital Oslo. Marius Borg Høiby, Crown Prince Haakon’s stepson, took his seat in the hearing room at the Oslo District Court on Tuesday morning. He is accused of 38 counts of various crimes, including rape, the abuse of a former partner, violent incidents, the transport of 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, threats and traffic violations.
The proceedings put a heavy burden on the royal family – even though Høiby neither has a noble title nor has any royal duties. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the 29-year-old could face up to ten years in prison if convicted. Parts of the proceedings, which are scheduled to expire on March 19, will take place behind closed doors. Høiby’s legal representatives have said he denies all allegations of sexual abuse and the majority of allegations of violence.
Høiby’s lawyer Petar Sekulic said the arrest came after an alleged incident on Sunday, but gave no further details. His client refused pre-trial detention. Prince Haakon has stated that neither he nor Mette-Marit planned to attend the trial. The royal family also has no plans to comment on the proceedings. Mette-Marit herself is currently under pressure because of her contacts with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (ap)