NEW YORK (EFE).— A group of inmates from a prison in New York sued the state Department of Corrections arguing that the total closure ordered for Monday the 8th in all prisons, and that it will not allow them to see the eclipse solar, is unconstitutional because it violates their religious freedom.
Six inmates — a Baptist Christian, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeria practitioners and an atheist — went before a state federal court alleging that the closure violates their right to participate in a “significant religious event,” according to the legal document cited by various media.
For this reason, the inmates of the Woodbourne prison, in northern New York, have asked the court to order the Department of Corrections, which manages 23 prisons, to “immediately” rescind the decision and provide glasses to inmates who want to see. the eclipse, as it did in 2017 when there was a partial one.
Last March, the Department of Corrections sent a memo saying that visits were canceled at all prisons due to total darkness due to the eclipse, which is expected to last from one minute to three and a half minutes.
“A solar eclipse is a rare natural phenomenon with great religious significance for many,” indicates the legal document presented by the prisoners.
The memo also indicates that in prisons that are not in the “path” of the eclipse, visits will end at two in the afternoon. The prisoners will be in confinement between two and five in the afternoon on April 8 to prevent them from congregating.
The eclipse will begin at 3:16 p.m. local time in New York, when the Sun will be 90 percent covered, according to NASA data.
New York is one of 13 states that will be impacted by the totality of the eclipse when everything will be dark for a few minutes.
#Inmates #demand #eclipse
2024-04-13 16:54:29