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Five Palestine Action activists who were convicted in June of vandalizing a Barclays bank in the UK will not be sentenced as terrorists.

As reported by Al Jazeera on Friday, Judge Robert Altham determined that the five defendants — Brendon O’Hagan, 28; Amanda Kelly, 31; Hmeera Atiqnisar, 31; Mohammed Malik, 28; and Alma Yaniv, 70 — did not commit crimes that rose to the level of terrorism.

Instead, the judge said, they will be sentenced in September for criminal damage to the bank, which will carry significantly shorter prison sentences compared to a terrorism sentencing.

According to The Guardian, attorneys representing the defendants argued that their clients’ Palestine Action membership should not influence a decision to sentence them on........

© Truthout