In England, once again, there was a gross violation of human rights, bordering on the absurd.
A British veteran who served in Afghanistan was sentenced for silent prayer near an abortion clinic on the Island, Aleteia.org reported. In August, there was another -sreshtu-policiata" target="_blank">identical case.
Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran and father of two, was sentenced to probation, and although his sentence is not effective, he will pay a large fine. Authorities in England and Wales are creating “buffer zones” around abortion clinics where people are forbidden to even pray silently.
„The court decided that certain thoughts – silent thoughts – may be illegal in the UK. That can't be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind – and yet I am convicted as a criminal”, wonders Smith-Connor.
The court found in its ruling that Smith-Connor's prayer was considered a “disapproval of abortion” because he had his hands folded and his head bowed. Lawyers comment that a person was convicted because of the content of his thoughts – the prayers to God – on the public streets of England. We can hardly fall lower in neglecting the basic freedoms of speech and thought, experts believe.