{"id":71927,"date":"2025-04-01T02:10:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T00:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=71927"},"modified":"2025-04-02T14:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T12:01:12","slug":"us-state-department-comments-on-uk-buffer-zone-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/us-state-department-comments-on-uk-buffer-zone-case","title":{"rendered":"US State Department: \u2018We are monitoring\u2019 prosecution of UK woman in abortion facility \u2018buffer zone\u2019 case and \u2018are concerned about freedom of expression\u2019 in Britain"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"71927\" class=\"elementor elementor-71927\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-517886cd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"517886cd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-65f5e42b\" data-id=\"65f5e42b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33bd6390 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"33bd6390\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Verdict for Livia Tossici-Bolt, Christian woman who faced criminal trial for holding a sign offering consensual conversation in censorial abortion facility \u2018buffer zone\u2019 in Bournemouth, will be released on Friday<\/li><li>ADF International is supporting her legal defence<\/li><li>US State Department: \u2018We are concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom\u2026 We are monitoring [Dr Tossici-Bolt\u2019s] case\u2019<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c0d1467 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1c0d1467\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>BOURNEMOUTH (1 April 2025) \u2013<\/strong> A bureau within the US State Department said on Sunday it is \u201cmonitoring\u201d the abortion facility \u201cbuffer zone\u201d case of a Dorset woman, ahead of the release of her verdict on Friday.<\/p><p>The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, &amp; Labor (DRL), a bureau within the United States Department of State, issued a statement on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/StateDRL\/status\/1906360387366260873\">the case of Livia Tossici-Bolt, 64, on X<\/a>, saying: \u201cWe are concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom\u2026 We are monitoring [Dr Tossici-Bolt\u2019s] case.\u201d<\/p><p>Dr Tossici-Bolt faced criminal trial this month for holding a sign that said, \u201cHere to talk, if you want,\u201d in a censorial abortion facility \u201cbuffer zone\u201d.<\/p><p>Her verdict will be handed down by District Judge Orla Austin on Friday April 4. ADF International is supporting Dr Tossici-Bolt\u2019s legal defence.<\/p><p>In its post, the State Department bureau said: \u201cU.S.-UK relations share a mutual respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, as Vice President Vance has said, we are concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom.<\/p><p>\u201cWhile recently in the UK, DRL Senior Advisor Sam Samson met with Livia Tossici-Bolt, who faces criminal charges for offering conversation within a legally prohibited \u2018buffer zone\u2019 at an abortion clinic. We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p><p>Dr Tossici-Bolt said: \u201cI am grateful to the US State Department for taking note of my case. Great Britain is supposed to be a free country, yet I\u2019ve been dragged through court merely for offering consensual conversation. I&#8217;m thankful to ADF International for supporting my legal defence.<\/p><p>\u201cPeaceful expression is a fundamental right\u2014no one should be criminalised for harmless offers to converse.\u201d<\/p><p>She added: &#8220;It is tragic to see that the increase of censorship in this country has made the US feel it has to remind us of our shared values and basic civil liberties.<\/p><p>&#8220;I\u2019m grateful to the US administration for prioritising the preservation and promotion of freedom of expression and for engaging in robust diplomacy to that end.<\/p><p>&#8220;It deeply saddens me that the UK is seen as an international embarrassment when it comes to free speech. My case, involving only a mere invitation to speak, is but one example of the extreme and undeniable state of censorship in Great Britain today.<\/p><p>&#8220;It is important that the government actually does respect freedom of expression, as it claims to.&#8221;<\/p><p>Responding to DRL\u2019s comment, barrister and Legal Counsel for ADF International <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/our-team\/jeremiah-igunnubole\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeremiah Igunnubole<\/a> said: \u201cThe UK\u2019s censorship crisis is the result of a longstanding failure by British politicians to vigilantly protect fundamental rights in the UK, while hypocritically claiming to champion them abroad.<\/p><p>\u201cWe cannot consistently claim the UK is a bastion of free speech when law-abiding citizens like Livia are prosecuted for nothing other than peacefully offering to speak to people. What freedom do we have if citizens cannot offer a consensual conversation in a public space?<\/p><p>\u201cToday, authorities are targeting conversations and even silent prayers they say are related to abortion. Tomorrow, it could be any other topic that goes against the mainstream perspective, as defined and policed by those in power. The slippery slope towards tyranny is clear. This is not how free and democratic countries should function.<\/p><p>\u201cTrue friends do not stand idly by as their friends blindly walk into a ditch. The robust protection of fundamental freedoms has historically formed the basis of the special relationship between the UK and the US\u2014a relationship that\u2019s now needlessly strained due, in large part, to the current censorial trajectory of Britain.<\/p><p>\u201cIt is right for the US State Department and JD Vance to warn the UK that censorship is antithetical to freedom, democracy, and societal flourishing.\u201d<\/p><p>Mr Igunnubole added: &#8220;Good relations with the US are key for our economic and military security. Criminal prosecutions for silent prayer and offers of consensual conversation are not only illiberal, but also irresponsible.<\/p><p>&#8220;The government must act to ensure that what is undoubtedly our most important diplomatic relationship is not put at risk due to an ideological commitment to censorship.&#8221;<\/p><p>District Judge Austin, who will hand down Dr Tossici-Bolt\u2019s verdict on Friday, is the same judge who last October <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/guilty-army-vet-convicted-for-praying-silently-near-abortion-facility\">found Adam Smith-Connor guilty<\/a> for silently praying in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d, in a case which Vice President Vance directly mentioned in his Munich Security Conference Speech.<\/p><p>With ADF International\u2019s support, Mr Smith-Connor <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-buffer-zone-appeal\">will appeal<\/a> his conviction in a July trial.<\/p><p><strong>Rose Docherty\u2019s \u201cbuffer zone\u201d case in Scotland<\/strong><\/p><p>This is not the first time DRL has commented on UK \u201cbuffer zone\u201d censorship.<\/p><p>In February, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/StateDRL\/status\/1894751701388636312?s=19\">DRL commented<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LoisMcLatch\/status\/1892373272689266820\">the arrest<\/a> of 73-year-old Christian grandmother Rose Docherty for holding a sign that read, \u201cCoercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want,\u201d in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d in Glasgow.<\/p><p>DRL said: \u201cPolice in Scotland arrested a woman holding a sign offering to talk to people in a restricted \u2018buffer zone.\u2019 Freedom of expression needs to be protected.\u00a0 We call on governments, whether in Scotland or around the world, to respect freedom of expression for all.\u201d<\/p><p>ADF International is supporting Ms Docherty, who recently rejected a warning sent to her in a letter from the Procurator Fiscal, as it required her to accept her actions were unlawful.<\/p><p>She did not cause harassment, block access to an abortion facility or influence anyone regarding abortion\u2014activities banned in Scotland\u2019s \u201cbuffer zones\u201d\u2014but merely exercised her right to freedom of expression, which is protected in national and international law, by offering consensual conversations.<\/p><p>Ms Docherty explained: \u201cI cannot pretend that what I did was unlawful\u2014I merely offered a chat, particularly in the context of anyone experiencing coercion of any kind\u2014an issue firmly on my heart.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cThis is why I will be rejecting the warning I was issued by Scottish authorities, with support from ADF International. It isn\u2019t right to deprive anyone of the right to take up my offer to talk\u2014or to restrict me unfairly from carrying out this peaceful, compassionate action.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>Reacting to the letter sent by the Procurator Fiscal, Lorc\u00e1n Price, Irish barrister and Legal Counsel for ADF International, said: \u201cThe warning issued by the Scottish authorities in effect demands Rose accept culpability for criminal behaviour. This Christian grandmother stood peacefully, alone, making herself available for a discussion with anyone who wished to speak to her. How can this possibly be outlawed in our society?\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>In his Munich Security Conference speech last month, Vice President JD Vance called out Scotland\u2019s draconian abortion facility \u201cbuffer zones\u201d.<\/p><p>The Scottish government last year <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/prayer-by-window-in-scotland-buffer-zone\">sent a letter<\/a> to residents whose houses were in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d, saying: \u201cActivities in a private place (such as a house) within the area between the protected premises and the boundary of a Zone could be an offence if they can be seen or heard within the Zone and are done intentionally or recklessly.\u201d<\/p><p>Green Party MSP Gillian Mackay, who authored the Scottish \u201cbuffer zone\u201d law, <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/prayer-by-window-in-scotland-buffer-zone\">admitted in an interview<\/a> following Vice President Vance\u2019s comments that in her view prayer in a private home within a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d could be a crime depending \u201con who\u2019s passing by the window\u201d.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-35f1fdcd elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"35f1fdcd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-250e1331 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"250e1331\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImages for free use in print or online in relation to 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class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Rose-Docherty-1.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4500138\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Rose Docherty\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzE5NDMsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDRcL1Jvc2UtRG9jaGVydHktMS5qcGciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiI0NTAwMTM4In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Rose-Docherty-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"768\" data-height=\"1024\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Verdict for Livia Tossici-Bolt, Christian woman who faced criminal trial for holding a sign offering consensual conversation in censorial abortion facility \u2018buffer zone\u2019 in Bournemouth, will be released on Friday ADF International is supporting her legal defence US State Department: \u2018We are concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom\u2026 We are monitoring [Dr [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":71928,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[736],"tags":[1069,899,945,898],"class_list":["post-71927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-buffer-zones-2","tag-free-speech-en-gb","tag-livia","tag-uk-en-gb"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US State Deptartment monitors prosecution of UK woman in \u2018buffer zone\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A bureau within the US State Department said on Sunday it is \u201cmonitoring\u201d the abortion facility \u201cbuffer zone\u201d case of a Dorset woman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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