The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has removed thousands of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein from its website after victims indicated their identities had been compromised.
Lawyers for Epstein's victims stated that flawed redactions in the files released on Friday had 'turned upside down' the lives of nearly 100 survivors.
Email addresses and nude photos in which the names and faces of potential victims could be identified were included in the release.
Survivors issued a statement calling the disclosure 'outrageous' and expressed concerns over being 'named, scrutinized and retraumatized.'
The DOJ has taken down all flagged files, attributing the mistakes to 'technical or human error.'
In a letter to a federal judge, the DOJ assured that it would remove all documents requested by victims or their counsel for further redaction.
Many survivors criticized the DOJ for not adequately meeting the privacy requirements set during the document release mandated by Congress.
Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards, attorneys for victims, claimed the release posed an 'unfolding emergency' requiring immediate judicial intervention.
The DOJ acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating it was working diligently to rectify the issue and to reassess documents for any other potentially exposing details.
The widespread release of Epstein-related documents, amounting to millions of pages, images, and videos, came after legislation enforced transparency in the ongoing investigation into Epstein's activities. As part of this, they were to ensure victim identities were protected through necessary redactions.
Epstein died in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and since then, the quest for justice for his victims has intensified, particularly in light of this recent mishap.
