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Federal Jury Awards $667,000 to Muslim Inmates Pepper-Sprayed While Praying in Missouri Prison
Eight Muslim inmates won $667,000 for excessive force and religious rights violations after being pepper-sprayed and placed in solitary confinement during prayer.
- A federal jury on Monday awarded $667,000 in damages in eastern Missouri's U.S. District Court, ruling for the eight Muslim men on all counts.
- Facing initial conduct charges, the eight men prayed together after the prison chapel was locked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with charges later reduced to minor violations.
- Correctional officers handcuffed, pepper-sprayed and placed the men in solitary confinement while they were praying in their housing unit; those in solitary at the 2,684-bed Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center lacked soap or running water and some used toilet water to wash off the spray.
- The Missouri Department of Corrections did not immediately comment Monday, while Nadia Bayado, attorney for the plaintiffs with the CAIR Legal Defense Fund, said 'Being a Muslim in America should not lead to one being subjected to excessive force or religious persecution.'
- After the Feb. 28, 2021 incident, the eight men were found guilty, released from segregation on March 10, 2021, and the 2023 civil lawsuit was filed, prompting the settlement.
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Jury awards $667K to Muslims pepper-sprayed by prison guards
A federal jury on Monday awarded $667,000 in damages to a group of Muslim men incarcerated in Missouri who were pepper-sprayed by state correctional officers while praying. The lawsuit in eastern Missouri's U.S. District Court alleged that the men had been allowed to pray together many times in their prison housing unit after the chapel was locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money will be distributed among eight men who were handcuffe…
·London, United Kingdom
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Associated Press News+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
A federal jury awards $667K to Muslim men who were pepper-sprayed by prison guards while praying
A federal jury has awarded $667,000 in damages to a group of incarcerated Muslim men in Missouri who were pepper-sprayed by state correctional officers while praying.
·United States
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 42%
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