Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday upheld the prosecution of an animal-rights activist who freed 2,000 minks and foxes from a fur factory as a terrorist.
In 2013, Californians Tyler Lang and Kevin Johnson freed 2,000 minks and foxes, and left the words “Liberation in Love” spray-painted on a barn at a fur factory in Morris, Ill., roughly 60 miles from Chicago.
They were prosecuted for their actions under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, or AETA, a statute that has raised controversy since its passage in 2006.

A new report puts a spotlight on so-called “ag-gag” laws, offering a clear look at how these efforts to criminalize whistleblowing “are part of a sweeping crackdown on dissent.”