The three peace activists that reached one of the most secure areas at the Y-12 National Security Complex last July, making headlines across the nation and sending shockwaves across the weapons complex, will go on trial today in a U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Jury selection for the trial was completed yesterday, with 10 men and four women being selected to serve on the trial, which hinges on the peace activists’ claims that the break-in was justified because nuclear weapons are illegal under international law and a threat to mankind. Susan Rice, an 83-year-old Catholic nun, as well as Michael Walli, 64, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 56, face up to 30 years in prison connected with two felony charges, including sabotage at a national defense facility. The activists cut through at least four fences in the early morning hours of July 28, eventually reaching the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where they spray-painted messages, symbolically hammered on the concrete building, and splashed human blood on its walls. The trial is expected to last all week.
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