As I detailed in my 3-part article as well as this article, I hold that Freeman is an innocent man who has been unjustly convicted and imprisoned.

New Free Ian website and petition

A brand new great website has just popped up entitled FreeIanNow.org. (Notice the .org, not .com.) Please go visit the website and particularly note their PETITION.

Moreover, be sure to sign up to receive their updates, such as the date that oral arguments are scheduled and the address where they will take place (if they are scheduled).

It is very gratifying to see this new website and petition. The more public awareness that is brought to Ian's case, the better chance there will be for a presidential pardon or commutation of sentence, if things come to that. Equally important, it's got to boost his spirits as well.

Ian's appeal

Since my articles were published, both Freeman and the prosecution have filed their appellate briefs with the First Circuit Court of Appeals. A 3-judge panel of the appellate court will read those briefs. That panel will then decide on whether to schedule the case for oral arguments. Given the complex issues that the case presents, in my opinion the Court will schedule oral arguments in the case.

If they do schedule oral arguments, that event will be open to the public. If you want to help Ian, the best thing you could do at this point is try your best to be present for those oral arguments. I plan to be there. If they are scheduled, they will be held in Boston. I strongly recommend against protests, protest signs, or interruptions in the proceedings, as I believe those type of things are very counterproductive at the federal appellate level. Federal appellate judges do not like people suggesting that they are subject to being pressured by protests into rendering a correct decision. But a quiet presence of dozens of people during the oral arguments in an appellate case will send a strong message to the Court that Ian has a strong support base of friends and family that are concerned about his plight. In my option, this could cause the appellate panel to give more careful attention to his appeal than what might otherwise be the case.