Jeff Free Luers

International Documentary Challenges “Eco-terrorist” Label (Video)

Arte TV recently aired a fantastic new film that examines the persecution of environmental activists as “eco-terrorists.”

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Breaking: Jeff Free Luers Released From Prison Early

Jeff “Free” Luers was released from prison early today after a Lane County Circuit Court Judge signed a supplemental judgment granting him an additional 30 percent reduction in his total incarceration time. In 2001, Luers was sentenced to 22 years, 8 months in prison for burning three SUVs in the name of defending the environment. [...]

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Environmentalist Receives Higher Prison Sentence than Al-Qaeda Operative

An Al-Qaeda operative charged with creating a weapon of mass destruction has received a lesser prison sentence than an environmentalist who set fire to an empty building. Christopher Paul, aka “Abdul Malek,” is an Ohio native who joined Al Qaeda in the early 90s. According to the FBI, he: received training in “the use of [...]

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Jeff Luers Speaks on the Green Scare, and Being Labeled an “Eco-Terrorist”

Over at Mostly Water, Marlena Gangi has an interesting interview with Jeff Luers. Jeff “Free” Luers was sentenced to 22 years and eight months for burning three SUVs at the Romania Chevrolet in Eugene, Ore. His case rose to international attention because of the aggressive attempts by the government to label him an “eco-terrorist,” and [...]

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First Operation Backfire Defendant Sentenced as “Terrorist”

A federal judge labeled property destruction in the name of the environment “terrorism” yesterday and sentenced the first of the Operation Backfire defendants to 13 years in prison. Activists around the country– and particularly the remaining nine defendants– had been watching the sentencing very carefully, because the judge’s tenor may foreshadow the remaining court dates. [...]

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Documentary About Jeff Luers Available Online

This film was put out a while back, but recently uploaded to YouTube (with the consent of the filmmakers, it looks like). It’s five parts, and worth watching. It was produced before Luers’ sentence was reduced, but is an interesting look at the case from the perspective of him and his supporters. Here’s the blurb [...]

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Luers’ “Eco-terrorism” Sentence Overturned: Did the Court Go Far Enough?

In a move environmental activists are, cautiously, calling a victory in the Green Scare, the Oregon Court of Appeals recently overturned the massive sentence handed down to an environmental activist who admittedly torched three SUVs. Jeff “Free” Luers was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in arson at the Romania truck lot [...]

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