Representatives from Amnesty International will attend the trials of criminalized Wet’suwet’en land defenders in Smithers, British Columbia, the week of June 17. The delegation includes members from France, Germany, the United States, and Canada, aiming to observe the proceedings and show solidarity with the defenders: Sleydo’ Molly Wickham (Wet’suwet’en), Shaylynn Sampson (Gitxsan), and Corey Jayohcee Jocko (Mohawk).
In December 2023, Amnesty International published a report titled “Removed from Our Land for Defending It: Criminalization, Intimidation, and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders.” The report highlights human rights violations by Canadian and British Columbian authorities, CGL Pipeline Ltd., TC Energy, and Forsythe Security against Wet’suwet’en land defenders opposing a natural gas pipeline.
The report details four large-scale RCMP raids on Wet’suwet’en territory involving unlawful force and arbitrary detentions of land defenders peacefully exercising their Indigenous rights and right to assembly.
Hereditary Chief Na’Moks emphasized the significance of Amnesty International’s presence, urging the Canadian government to recognize the international attention on these trials. He called for dropping all charges if Canada is to respect the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Amnesty International’s Americas Director, Ana Piquer, condemned the prosecution of land defenders, highlighting Canada’s place among countries where defending land and water rights leads to criminalization and potential imprisonment.
Amnesty International Canada’s Secretary General, Ketty Nivyabandi, and France-Isabelle Langlois, Director General of Amnistie Internationale Canada francophone, echoed these concerns, urging Canadian and British Columbian governments to halt the criminalization of land defenders.
Background on Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders’ Trials
In June and July 2022, the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) charged 20 First Nations land defenders with criminal contempt for disobeying an injunction to stay away from pipeline construction sites. Trials for several defenders occurred in 2023 and 2024, with some found guilty and others having charges dropped.
Starting June 17, 2024, the B.C. Supreme Court will hear abuse of process applications from three land defenders who argue their human rights were violated during their arrests. In February, Likhts’amisyu Clan Wing Chief Dtsa’hyl was found guilty of criminal contempt and will be sentenced in July 2024. Five other land defenders await trial dates for charges from March 2023.
The Wet’suwet’en land defenders are also collecting donations destined to help them defend themselves in the court of law.