Trial of #LandDefenders Fighting the #CoastalGasLink #Pipeline is Put on Hold as Canadian #Police Come Under Scrutiny for Excessive Force

The defense for three activists from #FirstNations argues abuse of process by security forces around the pipeline construction site, as the U.N. and Amnesty International allege excessive force, surveillance and #criminalization of land defenders.

By Keerti Gopal
January 24, 2024

"The trial of three Indigenous land defenders arrested at a pipeline construction site on #unceded #Wetsuweten First Nation land was adjourned until spring on Friday, as the court looks into potential abuses by Canadian police.

"In the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Smithers, B.C., the trial is the latest development in the nearly 12-year fight against the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline in the Canadian province.

"Land defenders #Sleydo’ #MollyWickham, #ShayLynnSampson and #CoreyJocko were found guilty of criminal contempt earlier this month, with Justice Michael Tanmen ruling that they broke a court injunction forbidding them from blocking access to construction for the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

"But immediately following the verdict, Tanmen began a week-long hearing to listen to the three individuals’ abuse of process applications, which allege that their Charter rights were violated during their arrests and detentions. During the hearing, the defense argued to stay the charges based on these applications, citing excessive force, aggressive behavior, offensive language and mocking by police.

"In Canada, the abuse of process doctrine allows courts to stay, or postpone, a proceeding on the grounds that some element of the process was unfair, and might undermine the legal system. In this case, the abuse of process application focused on treatment during and after arrests.

"The trial began on Jan. 8 and consisted mainly of witness testimony and evidence gathered in November 2021, during one of four major police raids at the pipeline between 2019 and 2023. The evidence included videos from social media and other videos taken by officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s national police service.

"The videos, and testimony from witnesses, including #RCMP officers, detailed the police using dogs and firearms and wielding chainsaws to cut down the doors of a cabin where Sleydo’ and Sampson were arrested. Jocko was arrested in another small structure close by.

"The activists allege police used excessive force to break down the doors and used offensive language, showing videos in which officers described arrestees as 'orcs' and 'ogres.' The abuse of process hearing will likely restart in June.

"Chief Na’Moks, a Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief and prominent advocate against the pipeline, said that the trial may serve as a template for future legal battles across Canada, where several other pipeline projects are underway.

"'This is going to affect everything else that happens, not only in #BritishColumbia but in #Canada,' Chief Na’Moks said last week. “This is the template that they want to use...and the harassment and constant abuse of #HumanRights has to stop.”

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24012024/first-nations-activists-fighting-coastal-gaslink-pipeline/

#ACAB #HumanRightsViolations #IndigenousActivism #BigOilAndGas #CorporateColonialism #IndigenousLandDefenders
#UncededLand #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent
#WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #EcoActivists

#USPolice Forces Are Trained by #Israel: The Knee-On-Neck Tactic that Was Used on #GeorgeFloyd Is the Same Tactic that Has Been Used on the #Palestinians

By Timothy Alexander Guzman
Global Research, June 04, 2020

"However, the tragic murder of George Floyd has the hallmark of an Israeli-trained tactic put to use to restrain suspects. Many U.S. states, cities and towns allow their police departments to be trained by the Israeli police, Israeli Defense Forces (#IDF) and by Israel’s internal security service’s known as #ShinBet who for decades has oppressed the #Palestinians with brutal policing tactics. The Israeli’s are experts in abuse and torture of the Palestinians which dates back to 1948, so now they train US police forces who use the same tactics to subdue protesters or to violently arrest people for some reason or another. An article by the Jewish Voice For Peace in 2018 titled ‘Deadly Exchange Report Reveals Extent of Massive Training Programs Between U.S. Law Enforcement and Israeli Police, Military and the Shin Bet’ begins its analysis with who is involved with Israeli training methods:

"From the acting Deputy Director of ICE to the current Chief of Police in Washington DC, from San Diego to Chicago to Atlanta, since 2002 thousands of American law enforcement officials have trained in Israel with Israeli police, military and the Shin Bet. And thousands more have participated in security conferences and workshops with Israeli military, law enforcement and security officials held in the U.S. But despite their branding as top-tier counter-terrorism experts, Israeli police and security agents regularly violate civil rights, and implement racist and deadly policies.

"The article describes one of the case studies of police officers spraying ‘Skunk’ a liquid that causes nausea when sprayed onto protesters during the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson as an example:

"Developed by Israeli police and manufactured by the Israeli company #Odortec, 'Skunk' is a foul-smelling liquid designed to cause nausea and linger for days when sprayed at high pressure onto protesters at demonstrations. Based on its proven effectiveness against Palestinian protests – particularly in West Bank village demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall – the American company Mistral Security began selling Skunk to U.S. police departments, including the #SaintLouisMetropolitanPolice, following the 2014 protests in #Ferguson, Missouri.

"According to the report produced by Researching the American-Israeli Alliance (#RAIA) in partnership with Jewish Voice for Peace [#JVP] titled ‘Deadly Exchange: The Dangerous Consequences of American Law Enforcement Trainings in Israel’ says that the Israeli military, police and those in intelligence agencies train US police forces under Israel’s counter-terrorism methods which also involves racial profiling:

"Israel is heralded as a nation that keeps its citizens safe in the face of perpetual threat, but Israel’s security regime is designed to subjugate Palestinians, and relies on systematic racial differentiation between Palestinians and Israeli Jews – that constitutes Apartheid. During trainings in Israel, US law enforcement delegations meet with Israeli military, police, and intelligence agencies to train in Israeli counterterrorism, which by definition necessitates refining methods of #RacialProfiling

"The report said that “Months after 9/11, American law enforcement representatives attended their first official training expedition to Israel to exchange 'best practices,” knowledge, and expertise in counter-terrorism.' Members from the #FBI, #CIA, chiefs and deputy chiefs from police departments across the US including #California, #NewYork, #Texas, #Maryland, #Florida and others who were 'schooled in Israeli military approaches to intelligence gathering, border security, checkpoints, and coordination with the media.' The report said that the “US law enforcement exchange programs with Israel have become standard, with hundreds of American law enforcement officials from across the country going to Israel for trainings, and thousands more participating in security conferences and workshops with Israeli personnel in the United States.' Allowing Israel’s tactics to be used on US citizens has been normalized establishing even closer ties between both countries:

"These exchange programs with Israel facilitate the sharing of practices and technologies between US law enforcement and the Israeli military, police and intelligence agencies; Instill militarized logics of security into the civilian sphere, normalizing practices of mass #surveillance, #criminalization, and the violent #repression of communities and movements the government defines as threatening; and deepen ties between US and Israeli officials to shore up support for a shared security model that justifies flagrant human and #CivilRights violations

"#AmnestyInternational (AI) published a report on August 2016 titled ‘With Whom Are Many U.S. Police Departments Training? With A Chronic Human Rights Violator-Israel’, the U.S. Department of Justice documented 'widespread constitutional violations, discriminatory enforcement, and culture of retaliation' within the #Baltimore Police department. The report rightly claimed that no attention was paid to who trained these officers 'But what hasn’t received as much attention is where Baltimore police received training on crowd control, use of force and surveillance: Israel’s national police, military and intelligence services.' AI said that that participants not only were from Baltimore, 'hundreds of others from Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, #Arizona, Connecticut, New York, #Massachusetts, #NorthCarolina, #Georgia, #WashingtonState as well as the #DC Capitol police have all traveled to Israel for training.' Thousands of more police officers receive their training methods from Israelis in the US as well. To add insult to injury, the training for US police forces and other government agencies are paid by US #taxpayers:

"Many of these trips are taxpayer funded while others are privately funded. Since 2002, the Anti-Defamation League [#ADL], the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs have paid for police chiefs, assistant chiefs and captains to train in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)

"This a reminder to the world that the police tactics used on George Floyd that got him killed was established in Israel, a #Zionist state that uses the same tactics to oppress the Palestinians on a daily level is now commonly being used by US police forces."

https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-police-forces-trained-israel-knee-neck-tactic-used-george-floyd-same-tactic-used-palestinians/5714997

#Mexico: Land, territory and #environmental #defenders are being criminalized for exercising their right to #protest

September 13, 2023

"The disproportionate use of criminal law is one of the main threats facing the right to protest peacefully in defense of land, territory and environment in Mexico, Amnesty International said today upon publishing a new report. Mexico: Land and Freedom? Criminalizing defenders of land, territory and environment documents the disproportionate use of the justice system to deter, punish and prevent defenders from protesting in demand of their rights.

"The disproportionate use of the criminal justice system against protesters forms part of a broader strategy of disincentivizing and dismantling advocacy for land, territorial and environmental rights. It is alarming to see that Mexico ranks among the countries with the highest number of murders of environmental defenders and yet, far from the State addressing and preventing this violence, other serious human rights violations are also being committed such as stigmatization, harassment, attacks, assaults, forced displacement and disappearances, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

"This report focuses on four cases: (i) Colonia Maya in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, where a diverse group of people came together to protest against the construction of residential housing in a protected area where it would cause #environmental damage; (ii) #Zacatepec, where Miguel and Alejandro, #Nahua communicators and defenders, opposed the construction of a drain in Ciudad Industrial Huejotzingo, Puebla, that would flow into the Metlapanapa River, polluting it; iii) Chilón, #Chiapas, where César and José Luis, Tseltal defenders, were criminalized for opposing the construction of a National Guard barracks in their territory; iv) Sitilpech, Yucatán, where residents such as Jesús Ariel, Arturo and Juan Diego are opposing the activities of a mega pig farm in their territory because of the #pollution, water contamination and health problems it is causing.

"The disproportionate use of the criminal justice system against protesters forms part of a broader strategy of disincentivizing and dismantling advocacy for land, territorial and environmental rights.

"Criminal prosecution and stigmatization

"Our report highlights the use of vague or ambiguous offences that ignore the principle of legality, such as rioting, obstruction of public works and variations on the offence of attacks on roadways. It was also noted that events occurring during protests have been conveniently adapted to fit other crimes through broad interpretations of criminal offences and statements that misrepresent the facts. The accusations are largely fabricated on the basis of statements made by public servants and company workers directly related to the events being denounced by the communities. There is no hard evidence in any of the criminal files that would enable any crime to be established.
#AmnestyInternational observed some alarming similarities in these cases. The complaints filed are overwhelmingly directed at people who are considered leaders, or those who are most visible in the protest movements, and they are being prosecuted for vague offences, without hard evidence and solely on the basis of their peaceful actions. The proceedings often drag on for various reasons, and there is a constant worry that cases could be revived or new crimes fabricated.

"Criminal proceedings against defenders are intended as a deterrent to others advocating for the same causes as it leads them to fear that their legitimate demands may end in stigmatization, repression or threats to their lives and safety. While we’ve observed the hope and dignity of some who are being unjustly criminalized when they enjoy the support of their communities, we’ve also seen others who have decided to abandon the struggle to demand their rights, said Edith Olivares Ferreto, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico.

"Differential impacts of state pressure

"These processes are often accompanied by a stigmatization of defenders and serious problems for their security and physical and mental health. This situation also affects their legal representatives and people who support them on an ongoing basis. The use of the criminal justice system against those who dissent or speak out in relation to local government projects and #corporate interests takes place without consequence and with complete impunity. Other violations that occur in the context of protests have also not been investigated, such as violations of the right to liberty and security of defenders, as well as the excessive use of force.

"The unjust #criminalization of defenders who protest peacefully has both individual and collective impacts. Some of the most common effects on an individual level are physical, psychological and economic, such as illness, physical pain as a result of blows received, fear, anxiety, sleeping difficulties, stress, impotence, feelings of injustice at what has happened to them, and effects on their work defending their rights.

"Collective impacts include the intimidation or repression of demands for rights to land, territory and the environment among people advocating for the same causes.

"The unjust criminalization of #HumanRights defenders draws attention away from the root causes and challenges facing land, territory and environmental defenders. The right to protest must be handled in such a way that recognizes that punishing those involved in social conflicts generally only exacerbates the problem rather than resolving the substance of the issue. Defenders’ demands must be properly heard and analysed and their right to protest guaranteed.

"Amnesty International’s report offers a number of general recommendations for addressing the disproportionate use of the criminal justice system against protesters, in addition to other recommendations specific to the cases documented in the report. Among the former, the authorities must recognize the valuable work done by land, territory and environmental defenders; refrain from stigmatizing them; guarantee their participation in issues affecting their communities; strengthen the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists; and refrain from using militarized security forces, such as the National Guard, to monitor protests.

"Among its specific recommendations, Amnesty International calls on the state to immediately cease the criminalization of protest and to properly investigate the human rights violations in the cases documented in the report in order to ensure that the defenders receive full reparations.

"The report accompanies the launch of the campaign #ProtestarNoEsUnCrimen, which seeks to raise awareness of the problem of the unjust criminalization of human rights defenders and its impact on the defence of land, territory and the environment."

Source:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/mexico-land-defenders-criminalized-right-to-protest/