Sarcone said he could not let outside pressure or criticism influence prosecutorial decisions. He also denied that he had any “ulterior motive” in pursuing a case against a newspaper that has been critical of him in the past.
Sarcone said Des Moines police investigators believed Sahouri broke the law by remaining near members of an unlawful assembly who were damaging commercial property and throwing rocks at officers after they were told to leave. His office agreed.
“She got arrested an hour-and-a-half after dispersal orders were given. Those are lawful orders. People can’t defy those lawful orders,” Sarcone said. “No one is above the law.”
2021/03/12 03:54 Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri, facing, hugs her mother, Muna Tareh-Sahouri, after being found not-guilty at the conclusion of her trial . Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri, facing, hugs her mother, Muna Tareh-Sahouri, after being found not-guilty at the conclusion of her trial at the Drake University Legal Clinic, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. An Iowa jury acquitted Andrea Sahouri, who was pepper-sprayed and arrested by police in the summer of 2020 while covering a protest in a case that critics have derided as an attack on press freedom and an abuse of prosecutorial discretion. (Kelsey Kremer/The Des Moines Register via AP, Pool)
The jury made the right decision : Reporter Andrea Sahouri acquitted in trial stemming from arrest as she covered protest William Morris, Des Moines Register I did nothing wrong : Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri talks after acquittal
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Andrea Sahouri says her acquittal Wednesday on two criminal charges sends an important message about recognizing the rights of journalists to do their jobs. The jury made the right decision, said Sahouri, a reporter for the Des Moines Register. They made the decision to uphold democracy, a just democracy, the freedom of the press, First Amendment rights, the list goes on.