Alberta civil liberties lawyer Derek From spoke with the Western Standard about Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich's legal troubles and shared his take on the legal ramifications of her ordeal. .From said Lich has been made a "political prisoner" because she successfully organized an engaging protest. While most claims surrounding "illegal" Freedom Convoy activities have been dismissed, From said Lich remains in prison on charges of "mischief" and was brought back into custody just before Canada Day for allegedly "breaching her bail conditions." .The breach involved Lich attending an awards gala in June where she was photographed with fellow protest organizer Tom Marazzo, and deemed a violation of her bail conditions. ."What's her crime?" asked From. ."She was actively engaged in political speech," he said. "And political speech, of which this protest, the truckers protest was, is nearly sacrosanct to Canada. Courts have upheld this and withstood the government's foray into restricting political speech many times." .From said he is concerned with the "bias" he is now witnessing in Canadian courts and worries it will get harder to access fair justice. ."There's a real chilling effect to all this," said From, referencing Lich as an example of what happens to those who "exercise their legitimate constitutional rights." ."Political speech is extremely important and it's the lifeblood of our democracy and our nation," he said. ."Tamara is behind bars today because she embarrassed the government." .Tune in Monday, July 11 at 7 p.m. MST for the full interview.
