Judge orders release of journalist and others arrested after ICE church protest скачать в хорошем качестве

Judge orders release of journalist and others arrested after ICE church protest

(31 Jan 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ++EDITS ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++ ASSOCIATED PRESS Minneapolis – 30 January 2026 1. Independent journalist Georgia Fort embracing supporters in court lobby 2. Federal police in riot gear clearing court lobby 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Georgia Fort, Independent journalist: “As I reflect, as a journalist who has worked in media for more than 17 years, I leave this federal courthouse today with one question. Do we have a constitution? I should be protected under the First Amendment, just like all of the journalists who I've been advocating for too, I've been advocating for mainstream media journalists who have been brutalized for months. Do we have a constitution? That is the pressing question that should be on the front of everyone's minds.” ++EDITS ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++ STORYLINE: Independent journalist Georgia Fort was ordered released by federal judge along with two other people Friday after being indicted for civil rights crimes related to an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church. Journalist Don Lemon was also indicted and arrested by federal agents Thursday in Los Angeles. The arrests brought sharp criticism from news media advocates and civil rights activists including the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said the Trump administration is taking a “sledgehammer” to “the knees of the First Amendment.” The four were charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during the Jan. 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor. Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023 following a bumpy run as a morning host, was due to appear Friday in federal court in Los Angeles. He has said he has no affiliation to the organization that went into the church and he was there as a solo journalist chronicling protesters. A magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge the veteran journalist. Shortly after, he predicted on his show that the administration would try again. Georgia Fort livestreamed the moments before her arrest, telling viewers that agents were at her door and her First Amendment right as a journalist was being diminished. A judge released Fort, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy on bond, rejecting the Justice Department’s attempt to keep them in custody. Not guilty pleas were entered. Fort’s supporters in the courtroom clapped and whooped. A judge released Fort, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy on bond, rejecting the Justice Department’s attempt to keep them in custody. Not guilty pleas were entered. Fort’s supporters in the courtroom clapped and whooped Some experts and activists said the charges were not only an attack on press freedoms but also a strike against Black Americans who count on Black journalists to bear witness to injustice and oppression. The National Association of Black Journalists said it was “outraged and deeply alarmed” by Lemon’s arrest. The group called it an effort to “criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement.” Crews is a leader of Black Lives Matter Minnesota who has led many protests and actions for racial justice, particularly following George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis in 2020. Lundy, a candidate for state Senate, works for the office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and is married to a St. Paul City Council member. Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads ICE’s St. Paul field office. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...