Amish men jailed for refusing to attach orange triangles to their buggies
A young Amish boy looks out of the back of a buggy during a funeral procession for victims of the 2006 school shooting in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, in which 10 young girls were shot and five of them killed.
A group of Amish men have been jailed for refusing to affix orange safety triangles to the backs of their traditional horse-drawn buggies.
The eight men from Kentucky say their religion forbids the display of "loud" colors, and they would rather spend time in jail than violate their beliefs, CNN reports. But according to Kentucky state law, the orange safety triangles are mandatory on all slow-moving vehicles.
The men belong to a sect called the Old Order Swartzentruber Amish, which CNN says follows a strict code of conduct known as the Ordnung. This "regulates everything from hairstyle and dress to education and transportation," court documents say.
The Swartzentruber Amish are willing to use reflective tape on their buggies, but refuse to attach orange safety triangles.
Eight men who refused to pay fines for their convictions have been sentenced to between three and 10 days in jail.
Menno Zook, Danny Byler, Mose Yoder, Levi Hotetler, David Zook and Eli Zook are currently serving their sentences at the Graves County jail, while Jacob Gingerich and Emanuel Yoder have already been released, CNN says.
According to media reports, the men have been allowed to wear jail uniforms dyed a dark grey, instead of bright orange, out of respect for their religious beliefs.
The Smoking Gun website has posted a composite of mug shots of the eight Amish men.
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