Guilty of Slavery
The Sabhnanis, who I wrote about previously here, were found guilty of having slaves. I had wondered previously if they were Muslim since slavery is still allowed according to the Koran, and while it does not specify a religious affiliation the woman Varsha is from Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world.
From FoxNews here:
Prosecutors called it a case of “modern-day slavery.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko said in closing arguments the poorly educated women worked as housekeepers for $100 or $150 a month — all of which was sent to their relatives back home.
Lesko said the women, known only as Samirah and Enung, were subjected to “punishment that escalated into a cruel form of torture” that ended when one of the women fled on Mother’s Day.
Allegations of abuse included beatings with brooms and umbrellas, slashings with knives, being made to repeatedly climb stairs and take freezing cold showers as punishment for misdeeds that included sleeping late or stealing food from trash bins because they were poorly fed.
Samirah, the woman who fled the house in May, said she was forced to eat dozens of chili peppers and then was forced to eat her own vomit when she failed to digest the peppers, prosecutors said.
They could get 40 years in prison, but probably won’t do that much time.
This story makes me angry, sad, and disgusted all at the same time. 🙁
Since under the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, slavery is permissible as a form of punishment, I think that would be a just and well deserved sentence.
Mommasays,
Thanks for taking the time to check out the rest of the blog!
I had no idea that the 13th amendment allows slavery as punishment! Definitely learned something new today!
Pat,
It appears the 13th amendment has that provision in it for the sole purpose of the government (local, state, federal) being able to obtain cheap labor. Even slave labor costs; gotta feed ’em, gotta house ’em, gotta protect the investment. I don’t think there are any judges with the testicular fortitude to impose that as a punishment, however, it is open for abuse by the current administration.
So a judge could really sentence someone to be someone’s Butler? that Jerry Seinfeld episode had a realistic premise?
Actually, the army has been sentencing people to hard labor for years at Leavenworth.
Pat, please investigate this topic and post about it? Please, please???