Anonymous hacker in the second week of a hunger strike in prison to protest against torture and political prosecutions against late activist Aaron Swartz
Except for the hackers and Anonymous community nobody remembers late Aaron Swartz. Aaron Swartz was a member of the online activists grouping Anonymous and was arrested in 2011 by FBI on charges of hacking. What happened after that is not known but one fine day Swartz committed suicide. The Anonymous community feels that Swartz committed suicide due to torture and political persecution by FBI and US Department of Justice officials.
What happened to Swartz and another Anonymous member, Jonathan James is now a matter of speculation. But the fact remains that the two of world’s most wanted hackers had committed suicide and no one still knows why. Swartz and James, both hackers by profession and members of Anonymous plus both were most wanted by the FBI have committed suicide in face of the federal investigation against them for hacking crimes.
However, there is one guy, a member of Anonymous who has undertaken a fast to protest against what happened to the likes of Swartz and James. Martin Gottesfeld, 32, a member of the online hacktivist group, Anonymous, began the hunger strike on October 3 and has already lost eight pounds. Gottesfeld faces charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act after allegedly being involved in the hacking of Boston Children’s Hospital in 2014 following the apparent mistreatment of one of its patients.
A video released by the hacker collective Anonymous in 2014 called for attacks against the hospital in response to the controversial Justina Pelletier child-custody case. The video claimed that 15-year-old Pelletier was held against her will by the State of Massachusetts and was “tortured physically and mentally.”
Above is a letter from Gottsfeld to all those who care about Swartz and the inhuman torture being practiced by FBI and federal authorities. Gottesfeld says he will continue the hunger strike until two demands are met. Firstly, he has asked for the U.S. presidential candidates to promise to help ensure children are not mistreated in the way he claims Pelletier was.
“My motive for the strike is to get pledges from candidates so that something can finally happen after decades of children being tortured, abused and killed,” Gottesfeld tellsNewsweek through his wife Dana Gottesfeld.
“It’s inexcusable for the death and abuse of so many children go unpunished. We should do better for America’s youth.”
Gottesfeld’s second demand is that the authorities should end the political torture of Anonymous members. He has specifically called for an end to the “political” style of prosecution waged by Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.
Gottesfeld faces up to five years in prison and a $380,000 fine. A FreeMartyG campaign has been launched by his friends, family and supporters to help raise awareness of his case.