Obstruction charges against journalist Brandi Morin dropped
On Friday morning in Edmonton, Crown attorneys informed Brandi Morin that the charge of obstruction laid against her has been withdrawn. Morin’s lawyer, veteran criminal defence attorney Richard Mirasty, was to appear in court today to enter a plea of not guilty on Morin’s behalf, and set a date for trial. Instead, he was informed that prosecutors had chosen to withdraw the charge.
“I’m just so relieved. So thankful for everyone who stood by me,” said Morin. “I was present to report, and I did nothing more or less than my job. It’s gratifying to see the Crown finally acknowledge that I did nothing wrong.”
On January 10, Morin was conducting interviews at an Indigenous unhoused encampment in Edmonton when police arrived and set up a large exclusion zone around the area. Morin was already inside this area, and filmed without incident as police negotiated with camp residents. When those negotiations broke down, with residents holding up eagle feathers in a gesture of peaceful resistance, police moved in to arrest camp leader Roy Cardinal. At this time a police officer charged at Morin, and demanded she leave the area while pushing her repeatedly. When Morin protested that she was a journalist and had a right to be there she was manhandled, handcuffed and held for five hours before being released. She was charged with obstruction of a police officer.
A coalition of eight national and international journalism and press freedom groups had called for the charge to be withdrawn, including the Canadian Association of Journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters without Borders, Indigenous Journalists Association, PEN Canada, Amnesty International Canada, Coalition for Women in Journalism and Journalists for Human Rights. The case had been covered everywhere from the Globe and Mail to the Guardian, drawing widespread public condemnation.....
