Summary
On July 7. 2021, a German judge directed the German Embassy in Washing D.C. to formally substantiate factual claims made by an American citizen that his human rights have been violated by the Florida sex offender registry and, by extension, the federal Adam Walsh Act.
Background
In 1995 Steven Whitsett, an American citizen and university student, was convicted of engaging in a non-violent, consensual relationship with a teenager in Florida. Following completion of a prison sentence, rather than being released, he was transferred to a “secure treatment facility” (i.e. prison) to await determination whether he might pose a continuing threat to the community as a “sexually violent predator”. Believing that his civil rights were being violated, Whitsett escaped from the facility using an armed helicopter. After his capture, he was sentenced to 20 additional years in prison for armed escape.
In 2016, after serving a total of 22 years in prison, he was released. In 2018, he fled the United States and arrived in Germany where he sought the political protection of the German government. As part of his asylum request, Whitsett filed a complaint in a German court (Verwaltungsgericht) alleging that both his confinement in the civil treatment center (1999-2000) as well as the restrictions placed on his freedom by the sex offender registry (2016-present) violate several provisions of international human rights law.
In 2020, a hearing was held before the German court with representatives of the German Immigration Authority (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge) attending. During the hearing, Whitsett presented documentary evidence in support of his claim that specific provisions of the sex offender registry violate human rights law including, but not limited to, freedom of movement within one’s own country, freedom to leave one’s own country, and freedom to enjoy privacy. Because of the judicial rules governing asylum cases, the American government was not invited to attend the hearing.
Nearly one year later, on July 7, 2021, the judge directed the German Foreign Ministry to substantiate certain factual matters by answering 11 specific questions concerning the allegations made by Whitsett in his asylum pleading. This marks the first time that a foreign government has investigated the United States for possible human rights violates stemming from the sex offender registry.
The pebble that starts the landslide!
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/international-megans-law-travel-issues-becoming-more-prevalent-for-registrants/
“US Department of Homeland Security Agents have pulled people off of airplanes in Florida before even departing, stating they were not able to enter the international destination. Also, the United States has opened 80 Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Offices in 53 countries internationally. HSI agents have been waiting for persons required to register when they land in the destination country and turning them right around before they even have a chance to speak with the receiving country’s immigration officer.”
There is an HSI office in Frankfurt, DE. Anyone know if HSI agents have been intercepting people trying to enter Germany before they even get a chance to get to the entry desk?
Germany is fine; France, Italy, Spain, and Greece are fine; the EU/Schengen Area is fine. FAC has their heads stuffed way up their butts when it comes to legitimate reporting on international travel and they shouldn’t be trusted for this kind of information. Here’s why:
What FAC fails to mention in all of their fear-mongering articles is the details of why a handful of registrants (dangerous ones, mind you) were taken off planes, turned around at foreign ports, or extradited from the countries they fled to. They were all breaking the law in one way or another, whether it was attempting to flee prosecution and active warrants, abscond from supervision, or some other major criminal offense, they were all wanted for something. DHS/Angel Watch/SMART are the governing bodies for SOs and they don’t do the things that FAC wants people to believe they do, like randomly stopping registrants from boarding planes (it’s the airlines from the destination countries that do this) or preventing them from entering foreign countries before seeing domestic CBP officials (which is illegal and a violation of state sovereignty in every country on Earth). They don’t do anything except send out emailed flyers… unless they have a darn good reason.
We can only hope and pray
This feels untrue for some reason.
What makes you say that? It’s very much true.
Any idea on the Norse countries like Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway?
Ireland has a sex offender registry and will require you to register there if you’ve been convicted of a sex crime anywhere.
Any idea on the other tree?