Last Monday, the 21st, Federal Judge Richard J. Arcara dismissed the charges in the case against the visual studies professor from the University of Buffalo, and member of the
Critical Art Ensemble
, Steve Kurtz. This does not imply that the process has ended, since the prosecution can still appeal the judge’s decision.
Steve Kurtz was accused of illegally obtaining biological material that he intended to use in an artistic work in protest against the food policies of the government of the United States and was initially suspected of terrorism. His case has found great support among the international artistic community during these years and has channeled the rejection of the covert curtailment of freedoms that the paranoid “war on terror” of the Bush government has brought to American citizens, including, as in this case, freedom of expression and academic freedom.
You can find information on this page that the Critical Art Ensemble set up in order to publicize the case and raise funds to cover the very high legal costs.
(Via Rhizome)