Judge dismisses charges tied to Michigan female genital mutilation case
A judge dismissed a new batch of charges Tuesday in the government’s investigation of genital mutilation against girls in a Muslim sect, saying prosecutors in Detroit retaliated after major courtroom losses.
It’s another blow for the government, which broke new ground in 2017 when it charged a Detroit-area doctor with performing genital mutilation at a suburban clinic. The move was recognized as the first significant use of a federal law banning the practice.
The 1996 law, however, was declared unconstitutional in 2018 by U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman, who said genital mutilation, known as FGM, was a matter for states, not Congress. The government didn’t appeal.
Friedman’s latest decision came months after prosecutors filed a new indictment, this time charging four people, including two doctors, with conspiracy, making false statements and witness tampering during the investigation.
The judge said the new charges can’t stand because prosecutors are tying them to a core underlying crime that was found to be unconstitutional.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/judge-dismisses-charges-tied-michigan-female-genital-mutilation-case-n1280350
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This is unconscionable.
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