Conviction Overturned on Appeal for Camp Casey Protestors

[sonias]

ACLU Press Release today 2/15/08

Conviction Overturned on Appeal for Camp Casey Protestors

Yesterday, two protestors won the reversal of criminal convictions relating to their activities during a peaceful protest of the Iraq war at Camp Casey I, near the President’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. The protestors, Austin psychologist Dr. Em Hardy and retired attorney and Navy veteran Hiram Myers of Oklahoma, were arrested on April 14, 2006 after they erected the tent between fences on county roads to draw attention to the Iraq war.

"This is a victory for our clients and for the First Amendment," said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director for the ACLU of Texas. "We are delighted to see justice done in this case."

Hardy and Myers were arrested for "obstruction of a roadway," even though the evidence clearly showed, and the appeals court agreed, there was no obstruction whatsoever. The court noted that the "remote possibility" of obstruction is not an adequate basis for arrest.

"The First Amendment means nothing if it does not protect the right to peacefully assemble and protest the actions of the government, whatever one’s viewpoint," said longtime ACLU cooperating attorney David Broiles, who represented Myers and Hardy pro bono. "Freedom itself is at stake when the government silences those who disagree with its actions."

"I’m delighted that the criminal conviction I received solely for exercising my First Amendment right to protest has been overturned. I am proud to be a part of a ruling that established a fair interpretation of a statute that could have been used against the constitutional rights of protestors in the future," stated Hardy.

"The outcome of this case demonstrates that the First Amendment is still alive and well in Crawford, Texas, despite the government’s best efforts to silence us." Myers agreed.

For more information on the ACLU of Texas, go to www.aclutx.org.

Outstanding news!!

:applause::bounce::applause:

Sonia