PBI-Canada will be on Wet’suwet’en territory to observe the sentencing of Indigenous land defenders by Canadian court

Published by Brent Patterson on October 10, 2025 October 13, 2025

Peace Brigades International-Canada, along with representatives from Amnesty International, will be on Wet’suwet’en territory for the sentencing of three Indigenous land and environmental rights defenders in a Supreme Court of British Columbia courtroom in the town of Smithers.

Yintah_access has posted on social media:

“Next week, October 15-17, is our final court date when Sleydo’, Shaylynn and Corey will be sentenced for the criminal contempt charges they received for upholding ‘Anuk niwh’iten (Wet’suwet’en Law). It has been a long four years.

Since winning the Abuse of Process claim where we proved to the courts the RCMP violated their Charter Rights during their arrests and detention, many thought the case was over. But our fight and the fight for the Yintah is far from over.

Please show your support in whatever way you can! The outcome of this case will be precedent setting for all land defenders upholding their responsibilities. The criminalization of Indigenous people for defending their land needs to end.

Please like, save and share far and wide. Keep your eyes on our socials. We continue to stand for the rights of all our people asserting their sovereignty within these colonial systems. None of us are free until we are all free.”

The call to witness the sentencing

During a Keepers of the Water-organized webinar in May 2025, Vancouver-based criminal defence lawyer Frances Mahon stated: “We are moving on to the sentencing process [for Sleydo’, Shaylynn and Corey Jayohcee Jocko], that will happen October 15th, 16th and 17th on Gidimt’en territory in Smithers, British Columbia. I really encourage anybody who is in the area or is able to travel to actually come up and to witness that.”

“Intrusive and aggressive surveillance, harassment and intimidation” of land defenders by Canadian police

In their report “Criminalization, Intimidation and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders” (published in 2023), Amnesty International documented that: “Since [Coastal GasLink/CGL fracked gas] pipeline construction activities began, the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police], CRU [the RCMP Community Response Unit, the new name for the Community-Industry Response Group/C-IRG] and employees of Forsythe Security (the private security firm hired by CGL), have subjected Wet’suwet’en land defenders within their territory to intrusive and aggressive surveillance, harassment and intimidation. Some actions by the RCMP appear to be discriminatory, degrading and highly culturally insensitive. This represents disproportionate use of police powers aimed at intimidating Wet’suwet’en land defenders and preventing their land defence activities.”

Video: “Dramatic Video Shows Militarized Canadian Police Raid Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders & Journalists” (Democracy Now!)

Judge: RCMP officers made “grossly offensive, racist and dehumanizing” remarks

On February 18, 2025, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in favour of the abuse of process application brought by land defenders Sleydo’ Molly Wickham, Shaylynn Sampson and Corey Jayohcee Jocko in relation to their treatment by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) during a raid on Wet’suwet’en territory on November 18-19, 2021.

APTN News has reported: “A B.C. Supreme Court judge says members of the RCMP made ‘grossly offensive, racist and dehumanizing’ remarks about Indigenous women who were arrested in 2021 during a blockade of Coastal GasLink pipeline construction. Justice Michael Tammen says the state misconduct findings don’t warrant a stay of proceedings against the women, but they and another protester will get a reduction in their sentences for criminal contempt as an ‘appropriate’ remedy. Tammen says that criminal contempt carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but those convicted typically receive short sentences.”

Potential designation as prisoners of conscience

Ana Piquer, the Mexico City-based Americas director at Amnesty International, has previously commented: “If the Canadian state decides to unjustly criminalize and confine Sleydo’, Shaylynn, and Corey, Amnesty International will not hesitate to designate them as prisoners of conscience. Canada is on the sadly long list of countries in the Americas where land defenders remain at risk for their essential work.”

On the Keepers of the Water webinar, Erin Riley-Oettl from Amnesty International Canada also stated: “When we are looking at the next chapter, the sentencing is in the fall. Amnesty International designated Chief Dsta’hyl as the first ever prisoner of conscience held in Canada. For Amnesty International, we will make a lot of noise and we’ll do it again. We will make a lot of noise to say it is not okay to criminalize individuals and hold them in their house or in jail, either house arrest or jail time, solely for political, religious or consciously-held beliefs or an unchangeable characteristic about themselves. They have not used violence and they are being detained and it’s unlawful. And so we hope that there is no need, but if it happens again in the fall where anyone has house arrest or jail time, then we are prepared to also declare prisoners of conscience again.”

For additional updates, please visit Yintah Access on Instagram.

Further reading: PBI-Canada has previously visited Wet’suwet’en territory in June 2025 and November 2021.