First Member of SHAC 7 Heads to Jail for Three Year Sentence

We look at one of this country's most controversial cases involving the prosecution of activists for animal rights. Earlier this year, six people were convicted for their role in a campaign to stop animal testing by the British scientific firm Huntingdon Life Sciences.

The activists are with a group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, or SHAC. Unlike other cases, the activists were never accused of causing physical damage. Instead, they were convicted of targeting Huntingdon workers, shareholders, and associates by posting personal information about employees and their families on the internet. The case has drawn scrutiny from civil rights advocates who say groups like SHAC have been singled out because they campaign against major corporations. The FBI has called animal rights groups the nation's number one domestic terror threat.

Our next guest is a SHAC 7 member whose jail term begins today. Andrew Stepanian has been sentenced to three years in prison - the maximum allowed under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act. He is the first SHAC 7 member to go to jail following the convictions. We also speak with Andrew Erba, one of the lead attorneys in the case.

* Andrew Stepanian, member of SHAC 7. He joins us on the line from Huntington, New York. More information at SHAC7.com.
* Andrew Erba, one of the lead attorneys in the SHAC 7 case. Speaking to us from Philadelphia.

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