The Sentencing hearing for three Indigenous Land Defenders convicted of criminal contempt last year following a blockade at a Coastal GasLink worksite near Houston, B.C. in 2021, had concluded in Smithers last week.
Sleydo’, also known as Molly Wickham, a wing chief of a house group within Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation’s Gidimt’en Clan, Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with family ties to the Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation, and Corey Jocko, a Mohawk ally, had been facing up to 30 days in jail, but during the three day hearing, it was ruled that all three would serve suspended sentences of varying lengths.
Sleydo’ was ultimately given 17 days, Jocko a total of 12 days and Sampson 9 days. In addition, all three will serve 150 hours of community service each. In the ruling, the Crown noted that both the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada had disrespected the rights and interests of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
Amnesty International has been closely monitoring the case, with their America’s Director, Ana Piquer, saying in a statement following the ruling, “While we are relieved that Sleydo’, Shaylynn and Corey were allowed to walk free, the application of jail sentences – suspended or not – sends a chilling message to land defenders who act to protect Indigenous rights and territory in the face of destructive mega-projects,’ Piquer adds, “These courageous defenders should never have been arrested in the first place for exercising their rights and defending the natural environment we all depend on. Canada must stop criminalizing Wet’suwet’en and other Indigenous defenders amid a global climate emergency.”
The suspended sentences means the group will not serve jail time unless there are further breaches of the injunction or their recognizance conditions over the course of the next year.
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