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| US man Albert Woodfox to be freed after 43 years in solitary | US man Albert Woodfox to be freed after 43 years in solitary |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A judge in the US state of Louisiana has ordered the release of an inmate who has been in solitary confinement for more than 40 years. | A judge in the US state of Louisiana has ordered the release of an inmate who has been in solitary confinement for more than 40 years. |
| Judge James Brady also banned prosecutors from trying Albert Woodfox, 68, for a third time. | Judge James Brady also banned prosecutors from trying Albert Woodfox, 68, for a third time. |
| Following Brady's orders, Woodfox could be released from jail within days. | Following Brady's orders, Woodfox could be released from jail within days. |
| He has been in solitary confinement since April 1972, after he was blamed for the death of a guard during a prison riot. | He has been in solitary confinement since April 1972, after he was blamed for the death of a guard during a prison riot. |
| Woodfox was tried twice for the guard's death, but both convictions were later overturned. He denies all the charges. | Woodfox was tried twice for the guard's death, but both convictions were later overturned. He denies all the charges. |
| He was confined for 23 hours a day, with an hour outside his cell to "walk alone along the tier on which his cell is located", according to court documents from a case challenging his prison conditions. | He was confined for 23 hours a day, with an hour outside his cell to "walk alone along the tier on which his cell is located", according to court documents from a case challenging his prison conditions. |
| Exercise was permitted three times a week and there were restrictions on "personal property, reading materials, access to legal resources, work, and visitation rights". | Exercise was permitted three times a week and there were restrictions on "personal property, reading materials, access to legal resources, work, and visitation rights". |
| Originally convicted and imprisoned for armed robbery, he was found guilty of murder after the riot in which prison officer Brent Miller was stabbed to death with a lawnmower blade. | Originally convicted and imprisoned for armed robbery, he was found guilty of murder after the riot in which prison officer Brent Miller was stabbed to death with a lawnmower blade. |
| On Monday, Judge Brady ordered the unconditional release of Woodfox and said a third trial could not be fair. | On Monday, Judge Brady ordered the unconditional release of Woodfox and said a third trial could not be fair. |
| But a spokesman for the Louisiana attorney general said prosecutors would appeal "to make sure this murderer stays in prison and remains fully accountable for his actions". | But a spokesman for the Louisiana attorney general said prosecutors would appeal "to make sure this murderer stays in prison and remains fully accountable for his actions". |
| Solitary confinement in the US | Solitary confinement in the US |
| Sources: ACLU, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Solitarywatch.com, Louisiana Prison Watch | Sources: ACLU, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Solitarywatch.com, Louisiana Prison Watch |
| How do you survive solitary confinement? | How do you survive solitary confinement? |
| Woodfox is currently being held at a detention centre where he was placed in isolation ahead of his trial. | |
| He is one of three men who were held in solitary confinement at the maximum security Louisiana State Penitentiary and known as the "Angola Three", as the prison lies next to a former slave plantation called Angola. | He is one of three men who were held in solitary confinement at the maximum security Louisiana State Penitentiary and known as the "Angola Three", as the prison lies next to a former slave plantation called Angola. |
| The other two men, Robert King and Herman Wallace, were released in 2001 and 2013 respectively. Wallace, also convicted over Mr Miller's murder, died soon after his release pending a new trial. King's conviction was overturned. | The other two men, Robert King and Herman Wallace, were released in 2001 and 2013 respectively. Wallace, also convicted over Mr Miller's murder, died soon after his release pending a new trial. King's conviction was overturned. |
| King and Wallace were also initially imprisoned for armed robbery. | King and Wallace were also initially imprisoned for armed robbery. |
| Woodfox and Wallace were involved with the Black Panthers, a militant black rights movement formed in 1966 for self-defence against police brutality and racism, which later embraced "revolutionary" struggle as a way of achieving black liberation. | Woodfox and Wallace were involved with the Black Panthers, a militant black rights movement formed in 1966 for self-defence against police brutality and racism, which later embraced "revolutionary" struggle as a way of achieving black liberation. |
| Woodfox, Wallace and King consistently maintained they were imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, with convictions only obtained after mistrials. | Woodfox, Wallace and King consistently maintained they were imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, with convictions only obtained after mistrials. |
| King, who spent 29 years in solitary confinement, described his experience to the BBC in an interview three years ago. | King, who spent 29 years in solitary confinement, described his experience to the BBC in an interview three years ago. |
| He said he remained strong but it was "scary" to see how others crumbled through lack of human contact. | He said he remained strong but it was "scary" to see how others crumbled through lack of human contact. |
| The three men have been the focus of a long-running international campaign. | The three men have been the focus of a long-running international campaign. |
| Tory Pegram of the International Coalition to Free the Angola Three, said she had spoken to Woodfox late on Monday and he was "excited and nervous". | Tory Pegram of the International Coalition to Free the Angola Three, said she had spoken to Woodfox late on Monday and he was "excited and nervous". |
| Jasmine Heiss, a campaigner with Amnesty International USA, said the decision to release Woodfox was "a momentous step toward justice". | Jasmine Heiss, a campaigner with Amnesty International USA, said the decision to release Woodfox was "a momentous step toward justice". |