United Nations Special Rapporteur closely following the upcoming sentencing of Wet’suwet’en land defenders

Published by Brent Patterson on March 11, 2025March 11, 2025

Photo (from left to right): Frances Mahon, Shaylynn Sampson, Corey Jocko, Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), Quinn Candler.

Mary Lawlor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, has posted on social media: “#Canada: In Feb, the B.C. Supreme Court found there had been racist & violent behaviour by the RCMP during the arrest of 3 Wet’suwet’en #HRDs in a peaceful protest against the Coastal GasLink pipeline, yet the HRDs continue to be criminalised for the peaceful defence of human rights & the environment. I will be closely following their sentencing in April @CanadaGeneva”

Last month, APTN reported: “[BC Supreme Court Justice Michael] Tammen says in a ruling delivered in Smithers, B.C., on Tuesday that criminal contempt carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but those convicted typically receive short sentences. The case will be back in court on April 3 to fix a date for sentencing.”

We continue to follow this too.

Further reading:

– Canadian judge finds RCMP C-IRG violated Charter rights of three land defenders in “extraordinarily rare ruling” (February 19, 2025)

– RCMP C-IRG snipers repeatedly deployed against Wet’suwet’en land defenders and water protectors (February 20, 2025)

– Amnesty International could designate three Indigenous land defenders in Canada as prisoners of conscience (February 21, 2025)