Linda Fairstein, a former US prosecutor turned crime novelist, has been dropped by her publisher amid renewed outcry over her role in the wrongful conviction of five teenagers for the brutal rape of a female jogger in 1989.
The black and Hispanic teenagers, known as the Central Park Five, were exonerated in 2002.
New Netflix mini-series When They See Us has returned attention to the case.
It has inspired a #CancelLindaFairstein movement on social media.
Also on Friday, Yusef Salaam, one of the five wrongfully convicted men, accused President Donald Trump of putting "a bounty on our heads" by amplifying public outrage at the time.
Mr Salaam was referring to the decision by the then real estate tycoon, to buy full-page ads in several US newspapers calling for the return of the death penalty in the state.
"They had published our names, our phone numbers, and our addresses in New York City's newspapers. Imagine the horror of that," a tearful Mr Salaam said at an American Civil Liberties Union event in Los Angeles.
Dutton, a Penguin Random House imprint, said it had ended its relationship with the author amid the backlash.
"I can confirm that Linda Fairstein and Dutton have decided to terminate their relationship. We have no further comment," Dutton Publicity Director Amanda Walker told the BBC.
Ms Fairstein, 72, has reportedly also resigned from at least two not-for-profit boards.
The crime novelist, who has written 20 novels since the 1990s, has not commented on the issue.
You can read the full and complete story by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be respectful and mindful when leaving a comment. Any and all rude, racial, personal attacks, etc will be removed. Kindness takes you far in life.