Vancouver Sun - June 3, 2011
Judge denies polygamist leader's unprecedented request for evidence shield
By Daphne Bramham | Vancouver Sun
Canada's highest profile polygamist has not only lost in an attempt to win a sweeping ban on the use of evidence and witness testimony in federal Tax Court, Winston Blackmore was ordered to pay $50,000 in costs.
Winston Blackmore is appealing the Canada Revenue Service's re-assessment of five years of personal income tax filings and its conclusion that he under-estimated his income by $1.5 million. In addition to the re-assessment, the government ordered Blackmore to pay $147,000 in penalties.
The appeal is based on Blackmore's assertion that he, members of his family and other fundamentalist Mormons in Bountiful who accept him as their spiritual leader ought to be taxed as a congregation and not as individuals.
Only days before his case was to go to trial, Blackmore filed a motion asking for the publication ban and a shield on use of evidence and witness testimony in any future criminal prosecution related to polygamy. [see related articles below]
On Friday, Judge Campbell Miller ruled that there would be no ban on publication of evidence and witness testimony; no restriction on future use of the evidence and witness testimony; and, no further delay in the tax trial.
Blackmore was not in court.
In his oral judgment, Miller said Blackmore and his lawyer David Davies fell “well short” of proving the necessity for a publication ban, noting that in the past Blackmore has not shied from publicity and has been open in discussing his polygamous lifestyle.
As for restricting future use of evidence and witness testimony, Miller admitted his concern that the government attempting to use evidence from a civil matter in a criminal case. But he refused to make a precedent setting order that might be viewed as expanding a tax-court appellant's Charter rights.
However, Miller did rule that Blackmore is a “compellable witness” in the Tax Court. Even though Blackmore has brought the tax appeal, Miller noted that reverse onus that tax court puts on citizens appealing their tax assessments gives Blackmore no choice but to testify.
As a compellable witness, Blackmore could argue in a criminal trial that using his testimony and evidence in Tax Court would violate his Charter rights as well as both the Canada and B.C. Evidence acts.
However, Miller noted that there is no guarantee that a judge in a criminal trial would agree and advised that was a risk assessment Blackmore would have to weigh in determining whether to pursue his appeal.
Blackmore's motion was filed only two working days before his two-week trial was scheduled to begin, forcing its adjournment, the judge ordered Blackmore to pay $50,000 for the Department of Justice's lost costs in preparing for a trial that now may be as much as a year away.
A date for a new trial could be set next Wednesday. That's when Miller has asked Davies to advise him and government counsel Lynn Burch of whether Blackmore intends to appeal Friday's ruling. If Blackmore does appeal, Miller said there's no point in setting a trial date until there's an indication of when the appeal might be heard.
This article was found at:
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thinktank/archive/2011/06/03/judge-denies-polygamist-leader-s-unprecedented-request-for-evidence-shield.aspx
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Courthouse News Service - May 31, 2011
Polygamist Wants Evidence Protected
By DARRYL GREER
VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) - As British Columbia's Supreme Court wrestles with the murky legal status of polygamy in Canada, the leader of a British Columbian polygamous community wants the Tax Court of Canada to restrict the use of evidence used in a tax trial in possible subsequent criminal proceedings.
Winston Blackmore filed a notice of motion with the Tax Court of Canada naming Her Majesty the Queen as a respondent. Blackmore, in appealing a tax assessment, seeks orders "restricting the publication of any evidence of any witness for the Appellant in the trial of this matter relating to polygamy, plural marriage, 'celestial marriage' (as it is sometimes referred to) or similar practices."
He also seeks an order directing the government to "not use nor make available to any person or entity for the purposes of prosecution" evidence given by witnesses in the upcoming tax trial relating to polygamy.
According to the motion, witnesses in the tax trial fear that evidence given about living arrangements and other information about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be used in criminal trials after the B.C. Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of criminal laws against polygamy.
Polygamy laws in the country were long held by legal experts to be unconstitutional under religious freedom provisions in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, leading the B.C. government to ask the province's Supreme Court to rule on the law's constitutionality last year.
Blackmore claims his tax assessment appeal will set a precedent "for the appropriate tax treatment of the Bountiful congregation."
The government, according to the motion, claims that the people of Bountiful are not part of a legitimate religious organization, and given "the polygamous nature of the purported congregation's familial arrangements, any allocation of trust income to families on this basis would be contrary to the intention of Parliament."
"The outcome of the Appellant's appeal will affect all members of the congregation. The Appellant is thereby practically compelled to testify and to call other witnesses from Bountiful or with first-hand knowledge of Bountiful during the relevant years in order to provide direct evidence of the living arrangements in Bountiful and of the congregation's religious characteristics and affiliations," the motion states. "In short, the evidence of the Witnesses is crucial to the Appellant's case, yet absent the Orders sought, the Witnesses' choice is to incriminate themselves of concede the [tax] assessments under appeal."
Blackmore is represented by David R. Davies and S. Natasha Reid.
Bountiful, in southeastern British Columbia, has existed for more than 50 years, but has been known as Bountiful only since the 1980s. It has found itself uncomfortably in the media spotlight repeatedly during the past several years.
Blackmore seeks publication ban on polygamy details in tax court
KEVEN DREWS | The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER— Details of child brides and the polygamist way of life in Bountiful, B.C., could burst into the public domain in unprecedented detail thanks to the tax man.
Winston Blackmore, one of the leaders of the breakaway Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the province’s southeast, has been assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes and penalties.
He’s fighting the assessment in federal tax court.
But before the proceedings could begin, Mr. Blackmore’s lawyer, David Davies, asked the court Wednesday to ban from publication details related to polygamy.
He also asked the court to ensure any evidence heard during the trial can’t be used in any future criminal trials.
Mr. Davies said the orders would protect Mr. Blackmore’s future rights to a fair trial and the administration of justice.
But B.C. Crown lawyer Craig Jones said the application is really about keeping evidence of criminality, specifically child marriage, out of the public domain and subsequent courts.
“It’s no secret he’s a polygamist,” said Mr. Jones of Mr. Blackmore.
Mr. Jones said that under cross-examination, Mr. Blackmore will have to talk about marriages to 12- and 13-year-olds.
“And that’s going to get someone’s attention.”
Mr. Jones said authorities in Canada, Utah and Texas are conducting ongoing investigations into the sect’s activities.
“That’s what this is about,” Mr. Jones said.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge is considering Canada’s 121-year-old ban on polygamy.
This past January, the RCMP announced a renewed criminal investigation focusing on Bountiful after the B.C. Supreme Court heard evidence that teenaged girls were taken across the Canada-U.S. border to be married.
Church records seized in the United States outline the marriage of more than two dozen girls who were as young as 12.
Meantime, Mr. Blackmore’s legal battle with tax authorities has been taking place since the 2000 tax year. As the dispute has worn on, Mr. Blackmore has amassed negligence penalties alone amounting to almost $150,000.
Crown documents filed in response to Mr. Blackmore’s appeal indicate Mr. Blackmore under-reported $1.85-million in income and employee and shareholder benefits received by J.R. Blackmore and Sons, Ltd.
Mr. Blackmore is the majority owner of the company.
In the documents, the Crown argues Mr. Blackmore’s reported earnings were “insufficient to financially support him, his purported polygamous ‘wives’ and the many children issued from those relationships.”
The Crown alleges credit card expenses, tuition for a son, rents, car insurance and hockey tickets, among other basic living expenses, were paid for by the company.
The documents also say the company paid a $41,000 salary to one of Mr. Blackmore’s wives in 2003 when she didn’t do any work for the company.
“The amounts expended by the company in respect of the personal and living expenses of its shareholders and their extended families was part of a purposeful and deliberate plan to reduce taxes at the corporate level and to benefit the shareholders’ extended families,” the Crown says in its court response to Mr. Blackmore.
Mr. Blackmore’s lawyers argue the company was a business agent of a Bountiful congregation.
Justice Campbell Miller of the Tax Court of Canada made no ruling on the application Wednesday.
He said while he expects to rule on the publication ban Friday, he may need more time to consider Mr. Blackmore’s application to ensure anything heard in tax court can’t be used against him in a criminal case.
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Courthouse News Service - May 31, 2011
Polygamist Wants Evidence Protected
By DARRYL GREER
VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) - As British Columbia's Supreme Court wrestles with the murky legal status of polygamy in Canada, the leader of a British Columbian polygamous community wants the Tax Court of Canada to restrict the use of evidence used in a tax trial in possible subsequent criminal proceedings.
Winston Blackmore filed a notice of motion with the Tax Court of Canada naming Her Majesty the Queen as a respondent. Blackmore, in appealing a tax assessment, seeks orders "restricting the publication of any evidence of any witness for the Appellant in the trial of this matter relating to polygamy, plural marriage, 'celestial marriage' (as it is sometimes referred to) or similar practices."
He also seeks an order directing the government to "not use nor make available to any person or entity for the purposes of prosecution" evidence given by witnesses in the upcoming tax trial relating to polygamy.
According to the motion, witnesses in the tax trial fear that evidence given about living arrangements and other information about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be used in criminal trials after the B.C. Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of criminal laws against polygamy.
Polygamy laws in the country were long held by legal experts to be unconstitutional under religious freedom provisions in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, leading the B.C. government to ask the province's Supreme Court to rule on the law's constitutionality last year.
Blackmore claims his tax assessment appeal will set a precedent "for the appropriate tax treatment of the Bountiful congregation."
The government, according to the motion, claims that the people of Bountiful are not part of a legitimate religious organization, and given "the polygamous nature of the purported congregation's familial arrangements, any allocation of trust income to families on this basis would be contrary to the intention of Parliament."
"The outcome of the Appellant's appeal will affect all members of the congregation. The Appellant is thereby practically compelled to testify and to call other witnesses from Bountiful or with first-hand knowledge of Bountiful during the relevant years in order to provide direct evidence of the living arrangements in Bountiful and of the congregation's religious characteristics and affiliations," the motion states. "In short, the evidence of the Witnesses is crucial to the Appellant's case, yet absent the Orders sought, the Witnesses' choice is to incriminate themselves of concede the [tax] assessments under appeal."
Blackmore is represented by David R. Davies and S. Natasha Reid.
Bountiful, in southeastern British Columbia, has existed for more than 50 years, but has been known as Bountiful only since the 1980s. It has found itself uncomfortably in the media spotlight repeatedly during the past several years.
This article was found at:
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Vancouver Sun - June 1, 2011
Blackmore wants a publication ban on evidence in tax case
Notorious polygamist's motion also asks for a court order shielding witness from prosecution for polygamy under Criminal Code
By Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun
It's a highly unusual request in the bizarre and unprecedented tax case involving Canada's notorious polygamist, Winston Blackmore, and his family.
The case, which provides a glimpse of how one man is able to afford more than 100 children and more than two dozen wives, was to have been heard over two weeks starting Monday in federal Tax Court in Vancouver.
But on Thursday, Blackmore and his lawyers filed a motion seeking a sweeping publication ban on "any evidence of any witness ... relating to polygamy, plural marriage, 'celestial marriage' (as it is sometimes referred to) or similar practices including any evidence given on examination of discovery or in response to undertakings."
The motion, which is being heard this morning, also asks for a court order shielding those witnesses from prosecution for polygamy either under the existing Criminal Code section or "any successor section that might result from the pending decision in the constitutional reference case that was heard in B.C. Supreme Court."
A decision in that case is still pending.
Blackmore has never denied being a polygamist.
He's had at least 19 "wives," has more than 100 children - at least 40 of whom are under 18, according to Blackmore's affidavit sworn in a different case that was heard in B.C. Supreme Court.
But without the publication ban and a shield from criminal prosecution, Blackmore says no witnesses will testify.
Without their testimony about their religious doctrine of polygamy and the living arrangements within the family and the broader fundamentalist Mormon community of Bountiful, Blackmore argues that it won't be possible to convince the court that they ought to be taxed as a congregation and not as individuals.
"In short, the evidence of the witnesses is crucial," the motion says. "[Y]et absent the orders sought, the witnesses' choice is to incriminate themselves or concede the assessments under appeal."
Between 2000 and 2006, the government claims that Blackmore underestimated by $1.7 million the income, employee and shareholder benefits he received from J.R. Blackmore and Sons, of which he is president.
It's not clear how much Blackmore owes if the reassessment is upheld.
However, the assessed gross negligence penalties total just under $149,000.
In the years covered by the reassessment, Blackmore's claimed income never exceeded $45,000 and was "far too little to financially support him, his purported polygamous 'wives' and the many children issued from those relationships," according to the government's amended pleadings.
What Blackmore did was have the company pay his own and his family's personal and living expenses.
For example, according to the government, the company paid a salary to Ruth Lane, one of Blackmore's wives, even though she did no work for the company.
It paid tuition for the University of Calgary, expenses and a salary to his son, Joseph.
It paid for a Cessna aircraft, its maintenance and fuel, even though the company used it only 20 per cent of the time.
The company paid property taxes and garbage removal fees for accommodation used by family members as well as their automobile insurance, vehicle allowances, gas, electricity and telephone bills.
Restaurant meals, hockey tickets and rink rentals charged to Blackmore's credit cards were paid by the company. From 1992 to 2002, Blackmore and his family even received shareholder dividends.
Blackmore claims it was all done for the greater good of the congregation.
But the government says, the majority of Bountiful's 1,000 residents had no role in the company's business and that it "operated for the primary benefit" of Winston Blackmore.
Yet, even if the judge eventually determines that Bountiful is a congregation, the government says Blackmore still didn't claim anything close to what he earned in salary and benefits and never paid the taxman anywhere near what he owes.
And nor did other members of his family.
Blackmore wants a publication ban on evidence in tax case
Notorious polygamist's motion also asks for a court order shielding witness from prosecution for polygamy under Criminal Code
By Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun
It's a highly unusual request in the bizarre and unprecedented tax case involving Canada's notorious polygamist, Winston Blackmore, and his family.
The case, which provides a glimpse of how one man is able to afford more than 100 children and more than two dozen wives, was to have been heard over two weeks starting Monday in federal Tax Court in Vancouver.
But on Thursday, Blackmore and his lawyers filed a motion seeking a sweeping publication ban on "any evidence of any witness ... relating to polygamy, plural marriage, 'celestial marriage' (as it is sometimes referred to) or similar practices including any evidence given on examination of discovery or in response to undertakings."
The motion, which is being heard this morning, also asks for a court order shielding those witnesses from prosecution for polygamy either under the existing Criminal Code section or "any successor section that might result from the pending decision in the constitutional reference case that was heard in B.C. Supreme Court."
A decision in that case is still pending.
Blackmore has never denied being a polygamist.
He's had at least 19 "wives," has more than 100 children - at least 40 of whom are under 18, according to Blackmore's affidavit sworn in a different case that was heard in B.C. Supreme Court.
But without the publication ban and a shield from criminal prosecution, Blackmore says no witnesses will testify.
Without their testimony about their religious doctrine of polygamy and the living arrangements within the family and the broader fundamentalist Mormon community of Bountiful, Blackmore argues that it won't be possible to convince the court that they ought to be taxed as a congregation and not as individuals.
"In short, the evidence of the witnesses is crucial," the motion says. "[Y]et absent the orders sought, the witnesses' choice is to incriminate themselves or concede the assessments under appeal."
Between 2000 and 2006, the government claims that Blackmore underestimated by $1.7 million the income, employee and shareholder benefits he received from J.R. Blackmore and Sons, of which he is president.
It's not clear how much Blackmore owes if the reassessment is upheld.
However, the assessed gross negligence penalties total just under $149,000.
In the years covered by the reassessment, Blackmore's claimed income never exceeded $45,000 and was "far too little to financially support him, his purported polygamous 'wives' and the many children issued from those relationships," according to the government's amended pleadings.
What Blackmore did was have the company pay his own and his family's personal and living expenses.
For example, according to the government, the company paid a salary to Ruth Lane, one of Blackmore's wives, even though she did no work for the company.
It paid tuition for the University of Calgary, expenses and a salary to his son, Joseph.
It paid for a Cessna aircraft, its maintenance and fuel, even though the company used it only 20 per cent of the time.
The company paid property taxes and garbage removal fees for accommodation used by family members as well as their automobile insurance, vehicle allowances, gas, electricity and telephone bills.
Restaurant meals, hockey tickets and rink rentals charged to Blackmore's credit cards were paid by the company. From 1992 to 2002, Blackmore and his family even received shareholder dividends.
Blackmore claims it was all done for the greater good of the congregation.
But the government says, the majority of Bountiful's 1,000 residents had no role in the company's business and that it "operated for the primary benefit" of Winston Blackmore.
Yet, even if the judge eventually determines that Bountiful is a congregation, the government says Blackmore still didn't claim anything close to what he earned in salary and benefits and never paid the taxman anywhere near what he owes.
And nor did other members of his family.
This article was found at:
******************************************************************************
Globe and Mail - June 1, 2011
Blackmore seeks publication ban on polygamy details in tax court
KEVEN DREWS | The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER— Details of child brides and the polygamist way of life in Bountiful, B.C., could burst into the public domain in unprecedented detail thanks to the tax man.
Winston Blackmore, one of the leaders of the breakaway Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the province’s southeast, has been assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes and penalties.
He’s fighting the assessment in federal tax court.
But before the proceedings could begin, Mr. Blackmore’s lawyer, David Davies, asked the court Wednesday to ban from publication details related to polygamy.
He also asked the court to ensure any evidence heard during the trial can’t be used in any future criminal trials.
Mr. Davies said the orders would protect Mr. Blackmore’s future rights to a fair trial and the administration of justice.
But B.C. Crown lawyer Craig Jones said the application is really about keeping evidence of criminality, specifically child marriage, out of the public domain and subsequent courts.
“It’s no secret he’s a polygamist,” said Mr. Jones of Mr. Blackmore.
Mr. Jones said that under cross-examination, Mr. Blackmore will have to talk about marriages to 12- and 13-year-olds.
“And that’s going to get someone’s attention.”
Mr. Jones said authorities in Canada, Utah and Texas are conducting ongoing investigations into the sect’s activities.
“That’s what this is about,” Mr. Jones said.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge is considering Canada’s 121-year-old ban on polygamy.
This past January, the RCMP announced a renewed criminal investigation focusing on Bountiful after the B.C. Supreme Court heard evidence that teenaged girls were taken across the Canada-U.S. border to be married.
Church records seized in the United States outline the marriage of more than two dozen girls who were as young as 12.
Meantime, Mr. Blackmore’s legal battle with tax authorities has been taking place since the 2000 tax year. As the dispute has worn on, Mr. Blackmore has amassed negligence penalties alone amounting to almost $150,000.
Crown documents filed in response to Mr. Blackmore’s appeal indicate Mr. Blackmore under-reported $1.85-million in income and employee and shareholder benefits received by J.R. Blackmore and Sons, Ltd.
Mr. Blackmore is the majority owner of the company.
In the documents, the Crown argues Mr. Blackmore’s reported earnings were “insufficient to financially support him, his purported polygamous ‘wives’ and the many children issued from those relationships.”
The Crown alleges credit card expenses, tuition for a son, rents, car insurance and hockey tickets, among other basic living expenses, were paid for by the company.
The documents also say the company paid a $41,000 salary to one of Mr. Blackmore’s wives in 2003 when she didn’t do any work for the company.
“The amounts expended by the company in respect of the personal and living expenses of its shareholders and their extended families was part of a purposeful and deliberate plan to reduce taxes at the corporate level and to benefit the shareholders’ extended families,” the Crown says in its court response to Mr. Blackmore.
Mr. Blackmore’s lawyers argue the company was a business agent of a Bountiful congregation.
Justice Campbell Miller of the Tax Court of Canada made no ruling on the application Wednesday.
He said while he expects to rule on the publication ban Friday, he may need more time to consider Mr. Blackmore’s application to ensure anything heard in tax court can’t be used against him in a criminal case.
This article was found at:
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Canadian constitutional case on polygamy triggered by Mormon fundamentalists, but will also examine Muslim communities
Utah law professor uses Mormon polygamists as example of how religious extremism leads to deliberate child abuse
Polygyny and Canada’s Obligations under International Human Rights Law (pdf)
Research paper submitted to B.C. court in constitutional case documents harms associated with polygamy
Man from Bountiful says girls in Mormon polygamist communities "treated like poison snakes", taught to obey men and have many children
Bountiful evidence that polygamy harms women and children - constitutional case likely to reach Canadian Supreme Court
Review of the positions 12 intervener groups are expected to take in upcoming Canadian constitutional case on polygamy
Some religious practices, such as polygamy, are inherently harmful and should not be tolerated in modern society
Women's adovcates: polygamy is an “oppressive institution” that abuses and enslaves women and children
Canadian polygamy case hears additional witnesses, school that intellectually abuses children given top ranking
Utah authorities say ruling in Canadian polygamy case will have no bearing on US law
Final arguments in Canadian constitutional hearing on polygamy will be broadcast on TV and Web
Closing arguments in Canadian polygamy case set for March 2011, but what about evidence of crimes exposed in testimony?
Canadian polygamy case hears evidence on high rates of teen pregnancies in fundamentalist Mormon community
Canadian polygamy case hears additional witnesses, school that intellectually abuses children given top ranking
Polygamy prohibition is a reasonable limit on religious freedom to protect the equality rights of women and children
A review of the Canadian constitutional case on polygamy after completion of testimonies
For Mormon polygamists in Canadian case religious freedom means enslaving women, sexualizing girls, exploiting boys
Two more plural wives testify in Canadian polygamy case, see no problem with forced marriage or trafficking child brides
Testimony of first FLDS witness in Canadian polygamy case reveals women in denial that their children are being abused
First anonymous FLDS witness in Canadian polygamy case paints cosy picture of plural marriage, seems oblivious to abuses
Affidavit in Canadian polygamy case reveals shocking statistics on child trafficking, child brides and teen mothers in Bountiful
Economics professor considers financial aspects of polygamy that create inequality
Two Mormon fundamentalist women from Utah tell Canadian court positive accounts of polygamy, no hint of abuse
Brother of FLDS bishop describes intellectual abuse, child labour, spiritual abuse and loveless religion in Canadian polygamy case
No freedom from religion for women and children in Mormon polygamist towns where men claim religious freedom to abuse
Mormon polygamist survivor tells court babies smothered to keep quiet, emotional and spiritual abuse worse than sex abuse
Video testimony by Mormon fundamentalist in Canadian court says polygamy provides happy life and harms no one
Survivor tells Canadian court extreme abuses including water torture of babies common in Mormon polygamist communities
FLDS bishop of Bountiful will not testify in Canadian polygamy case so his affidavit will not be read into record
Legal expert tells Canadian court polygamy prohibitions and monogamy tradition pre-date Christianity
The issue of women's rights in the Canadian constitutional review of the polygamy law
Another week of conflicting expert testimony as constitutional hearing on Canadian polygamy law continues
Before holiday break in constitutional case judge hears conflicting expert testimony on harms associated with polygamy
Expert in polygamy case says society should assume all members of sects have free choice, but what about children?
B.C. government expert in polygamy case sets out long list of social harms, societies that abandon polygamy do better
Court views video affidavits from Mormon fundamentalist survivors detailing pedophilia, incest, child trafficking and forced marriage
Polygamy expert tells court in constitutional case that it reduces women's freedom and equality and leads to forced marriage
Affidavits from survivors and psychologist's testimony in constitutional case show abusive nature of polygamous lifestyle
Expert witness in constitutional case on polygamy claims Bountiful women freely choose their own religious oppression
Judge allows controversial expert witness to testify in Canadian polygamy case, no decision yet on publication of video affidavits
Pro-polygamy intervenor groups make opening statements as first week of Canadian constitutional case ends
FLDS lawyer in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy claims members freely consent to plural marriage, abuse survivors disagree
Lawyer appointed to argue for striking down Canada's anti-polygamy law in constitutional case makes opening arguments
Canadian constitutional case on polygamy begins with BC government's opening statement
Unique Canadian constitutional case on polygamy set to begin November 22, 2010
Timeline of events leading up to Canadian constitutional case on polygamy which is set to begin
Survivor of abuse by Mormon polygamists documents accounts of sex crimes in the FLDS and other fundamentalist groups
Mormon fundamentalist leader asks court to exclude evidence against him in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy
Fundamentalist Mormon spokeswoman says polygamy doesn't hurt anyone
Mormon fundamentalist claims of religious persecution in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy not supported by the facts
Polygamist leader says BC attorney general guilty of religious persecution
Polygamist leader calls charges religious persecution
More persecution than prosecution
Second Mormon polygamist found guilty of child sex assault, jury doesn't buy defense claim of religious persecution
Claims of persecution ridiculous in societies where Christians have special privileges to indoctrinate children
More pro-polygamy affidavits by Mormon fundamentalists filed in Canadian constitutional case set to begin in November
Judge will allow anonymous testimony from Mormon polygamists in Canadian constitutional case on polygamy
Mormon polygamists seek immunity from future prosecution before giving evidence in Canadian constitutional case
Canadian constitutional case on polygamy triggered by Mormon fundamentalists, but will also examine Muslim communities
Utah law professor uses Mormon polygamists as example of how religious extremism leads to deliberate child abuse
Polygyny and Canada’s Obligations under International Human Rights Law (pdf)
Research paper submitted to B.C. court in constitutional case documents harms associated with polygamy
Man from Bountiful says girls in Mormon polygamist communities "treated like poison snakes", taught to obey men and have many children
Bountiful evidence that polygamy harms women and children - constitutional case likely to reach Canadian Supreme Court
Review of the positions 12 intervener groups are expected to take in upcoming Canadian constitutional case on polygamy
Some religious practices, such as polygamy, are inherently harmful and should not be tolerated in modern society
Women's adovcates: polygamy is an “oppressive institution” that abuses and enslaves women and children
FLDS defendants complain their religious freedom violated, while denying religious freedom to their children
Children in Bountiful have religious rights too, but are denied them by parents claiming religious freedom
Some Canadian children are protected from religion-related abuse, while others are not
Polygamy is not freedom
Children in Bountiful have religious rights too, but are denied them by parents claiming religious freedom
Some Canadian children are protected from religion-related abuse, while others are not
Polygamy is not freedom
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