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Days after the US Justice Department released Epstein documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a survivor has said she feels mortified after discovering that her real name was made public, despite her choosing to remain anonymous as "Jane Doe", reported CNN.
The survivor said her name appeared multiple times in the newly released Epstein files. She said her repeated efforts to get the Department of Justice (DOJ) to redact her identity have so far failed. According to CNN, Jane Doe's name is visible in several documents released by the DOJ on Friday. Jane Doe said that since the files became public, she has received unsolicited phone calls, adding to her trauma. She told CNN that she contacted DOJ officials over the weekend to flag that her personal details had not been redacted but the official acknowledged her message and said it would be forwarded to the team handling redactions. However, when she followed up again on Sunday, her name was still publicly accessible as of Monday afternoon. Jane Doe said she witnessed and suffered abuse by Epstein in 2009 and reported it to the FBI that same year. This was after Epstein had pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges in Florida and secured a controversial non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors. Under that deal, Epstein served just 13 months in prison and was allowed to leave jail daily under a work-release programme. Survivors have consistently alleged that Epstein continued abusing girls during this period. Jane Doe said she has been seeking access to her FBI file for several years and said the DOJ's failure to protect her identity has deeply shaken her trust in the system."The reason I feel so passionate is it's not just about me and what happened. I fear for the little girl who's calling the FBI right now and asking for help," she told CNN. "I am so afraid for her, because if I have to do all of this right now... I have no words. I just have no words. It hurts my heart. It haunts me to my core." Jane Doe is among more than a dozen Epstein survivors, along with family members of the late survivor Virginia Giuffre, who released a joint statement on Monday criticising the DOJ's handling of the file release. The statement flagged what it called "abnormal and extreme redactions" without explanation, victims' identities being left unredacted, causing "real and immediate harm", and the absence of financial records. Survivors also said it has been difficult or impossible to search for documents related to their own cases. Earlier, CNN had reported that several survivors were struggling to navigate the DOJ's online "Epstein Library" and were unable to locate material connected to their abuse. "There has been no communication with survivors or our representatives about what was withheld, why hundreds of thousands of documents were not released by the legal deadline, or how future disclosures will avoid exposing victims," the statement said. Responding to the criticism, DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said the department has been in contact with victims, their lawyers, and survivor groups. He said the DOJ and the Southern District of New York are undertaking a complex process to protect victims through redactions and encouraged survivors to raise concerns with officials. However, the release has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers across party lines. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said the DOJ must stop shielding influential individuals who were never charged. He called for the release of FBI witness interviews that name other men allegedly linked to Epstein, along with emails seized from Epstein's computer. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, also accused the DOJ of failing to comply with the law. In one post on X, Massie said he was being blamed for a bill that President Donald Trump eventually signed, while powerful figures remained protected. He alleged that Attorney General Pam Bondi was actively redacting and withholding parts of the Epstein files that the DOJ is legally required to release. "Trump is blaming me for a bill he eventually signed, while defending his banker friends, Bill Clinton, and "innocent" visitors to rape island. Meanwhile Bondi is working fervently to redact, omit, and delete Epstein files she is legally required to release under our bill, he wrote in an X post. In another post, Massie said survivors deserve justice and argued that the DOJ's document release does not meet the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He added, "The survivors deserve justice. The DOJ release does not comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and does not provide what the survivors are guaranteed under the new law." (ANI)
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