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Georgia lawmakers pass bill to revamp citizens arrest law, once used to justify lynchings

April 2, 2021

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The Georgia legislature on Wednesday banned most arrests by private citizens in a reworking of a citizens arrest law that was cited in the past to justify lynchings.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill, which was passed with bipartisan support, report the New York Times, the Guardian and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The first version of the law, passed in 1863, enabled white citizens to catch fleeing slaves. Critics condemned the citizens arrest law after the February 2020 killing of Black Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery by white men who sought to detain him.

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