Six prisoners from New York State have asked the American justice system to intervene to authorize their jailers to let them go out into a courtyard to observe the solar eclipse on Monday, without which their religious freedom would be violated, according to them.
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On the afternoon of Monday, April 8, a total eclipse is expected to cross North America, a rare event that is causing a lot of excitement in the United States: hotels full for months, special commercial planes, distribution of glasses protection, etc.
And six prisoners also want to participate in the party.
Faced with a firm refusal from the prison administration, they filed their request with federal justice on Friday.
“Each expressed their strong religious belief that the April solar eclipse is a religious event that must be observed, about which they must question, in order to be able to practice their faith,” notes the complaint in particular.
All “would see their constitutional rights to practice their religion violated” if the New York State prison administration did not reverse its decision to prohibit any exit outside the cell on Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., precisely during the eclipse, believe the inmates.
The instigator of the complaint, who has multiplied initiatives since January to see the eclipse, calls himself an atheist, but still sees in this astronomical event “an event of great religious significance”.
A Muslim complainant cites passages from sacred texts, two Christians mention an extract from the Bible alluding to an eclipse, yet another declares himself to be of the Santeria religion, from the Caribbean.
The ban on going out into the courtyard during the eclipse is justified by “security” reasons, insists the prison administration in a press release, adding that special glasses will be distributed for guards and inmates, if they can. see the sky from their cell.
In total, about 32 million people live in the path of total darkness, where the total eclipse will be visible, according to NASA. And scientists will be hard at work collecting valuable data.
