Local authorities in St Paul, Minneapolis, will not prosecute journalists who were arrested on misdemeanour charges during the Republican national convention on September 1.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper reported quoted St Paul mayor Chris Coleman as saying the city authorities have decided not to prosecute journalists charged with misdemeanour offences and that they will use a “very broad” definition of who, among the approximately 800 people arrested, is a journalist.
Among those who will not be prosecuted are Amy Goodman, the host of Democracy Now!, and two of her reporters and producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, who were charged with unlawful assembly, obstructing the legal process and incitement to riot . They were also the victims of police violence.
"This is an important first step, but many questions remain," said Nancy Doyle Brown from Twin Cities Media Alliance. "We still need answers about why and how journalists got swept up in these arrests in the first place. And more than anything else, we need to ensure that this never happens again. We’ll never know how many important stories never got told because their authors were behind bars, not in the streets."
Paris-based Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) welcomed the outcome, and hoped a similar decision is taken with ABC News producer Asa Eslocker, who was arrested and charged with trespassing, interference, and refusing to obey a lawful order during the Democratic Party convention in Denver on August 27. He is due to appear in court on September 25.
"We’re pleased that the St. Paul authorities ultimately acted to uphold the rights of all journalists -- including those citizens using blogs, cheap cameras and cellphones to report news as it happens," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. "Our task now is to ensure that our press remains free to report on the events, issues and stories that matter to our country, our communities, and our democracy."
