July 14, 2021 at 3:22 pm
Lawyers for 17 people arrested at pipeline protests in Louisiana say a local prosecutor has rejected felony trespass charges against them all.
The decision is a major victory for free speech, attorney Bill Quigley and the Center for Constitutional Rights said.
District Attorney Bofill “Bo” Duhé sent a letter late Friday saying he did not plan to prosecute any of the 16 protesters or a freelance journalist who was arrested at one demonstration, said Pamela Spees, an attorney for the center.
“To avoid any doubt, l write this letter as an assurance of non-prosecution and to affirmatively disavow any future prosecution,” Duhé wrote in a copy provided Wednesday to The Associated Press. The letter was dated June 16, but had been corrected Friday to include all 17 names, Spees said.
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