Inmates in New York have presented a lawsuit against state corrections department by the decision of close prisons during total solar eclipse scheduled for next Monday, claiming that this measure infringes their constitutional rights by preventing them from observing an event of religious significance.
According to local media NYthe legal action, filed on Friday in a federal court in upstate New York, has six plaintiffs from varied religious backgrounds, confined in the Woodbourne Correctional Centerincluding a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeria practitioners, and an atheist.
The complaint highlights the religious importance of solar eclipses, citing biblical passages and Islamic texts that describe similar phenomena during significant events.
He argues that the eclipse, a rare natural event that will not be repeated in the US until 2044deserves to be observed for purposes of gathering, celebration, worship and prayer.
The lawsuit notes that although an atheist inmate had previously been granted special permission to view the eclipse with state-issued glasses, Subsequent requests from other inmates were denied under the argument that the eclipse is not recognized as a sacred day in their respective religions.
Additionally, a memo issued by Daniel Martuscello III, acting commissioner of the department, states that correctional facilities will operate on holiday hours during the eclipseconfining inmates to their housing units and restricting access to normal outdoor recreation hours.
With the approach of total solar eclipse on April 8, Both scientists and amateurs are preparing to observe and document possible effects of the phenomenon with great anticipation. As we see, neither do people deprived of their liberty They want to miss the opportunity to witness this astronomical event.
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