After suffering the longest and most aggressively prosecuted mischief trial in Canadian history, Tamara Lich (@LichTamara) is now suing the police and Crown for malicious prosecution and negligent investigation. She was found guilty of mischief for her role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy in Ottawa and given an 18-month conditional sentence including 100 hrs of community service and 12 months of house arrest, followed by 6 months of curfew. A condition of her pretrial release was zero contact with other convoy organizers, although she had been granted permission to attend an award ceremony where other organizers would be, provided she was in the company of her lawyer (which she was). Despite this, a photo was taken at the event of her with another convoy organizer which brought about an immediate Canada-wide warrant for breaching bail conditions. She was quickly arrested and transported back to Ottawa where she was held without bail until her trial. Tamara Lich had no prior criminal history and consistently promoted peaceful assembly throughout the convoy protest; a fact acknowledged by the courts. By pursuing maximum penalties against non-violent organizers like herself and Chris Barber, while typical mischief cases result in far less, authorities have effectively weaponized the justice system to chill dissent. Compare this to countless recent reports of repeat violent offenders being released with a slap on the wrist and it’s easy to see that she was being made an example of. “This isn’t just about me,” Lich stated. “It’s about stopping this kind of abuse so no Canadian ever faces it again.” Her lawsuit seeks to reaffirm that the Charter stands above all, protecting peaceful protest, fair process, and equal application of the rule of law. Our Charter is not ambiguous on these matters. If we do not correct the actions of our government and judiciary now, and demand accountability, those willing will continue their efforts to suppress our rights and freedoms. We fully support Tamara’s fight for justice. Tamara has launched a GiveSendGo campaign to fund this effort. You can donate by clicking the link; givesendgo.com/my-stand-again…
