Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2006 August 29-31

A Chinese court has sentenced a blind civil rights activist to more than four years in prison. Chen Guangcheng was convicted of damaging property and "organizing a mob to disturb traffic." But his supporters say his real crime was documenting tens of thousands of forced sterilizations and late-term abortions performed to enforce China's one-child policy. Chen's lawyer was detained by authorities before the trial on theft allegations and was released after it was over without charge. Chen was represented during the two-hour trial by two court-appointed attorneys he met only when the trial opened.

A Nassau County, Florida, sheriff's deputy was arrested for allegedly fondling an inmate in the evidence room. Jarrett Wade Hodges allegedly played a pornographic videotape during the incident and told the inmate he would get into trouble if he didn't cooperate. The inmate was serving a nine-month sentence on a marijuana charge. Sheriff Tommy Seagraves says Hodges admitted to inappropriately touching the inmate and playing a pornographic video. He also says Hodges admitted he had done the same thing a year earlier with another inmate.

In England, the Brighton and Hove City Council has barred white people applying for a part-time post at a local museum. "This is a way of us giving positive trainee work to someone in a group which is underrepresented at the council, which is different from barring certain types of races applying for a full-time post," said council leader Simon Burgess.