Jac Archer, Justice Forral, and Bajun Mavalwalla II were three of a group of nine people who were arrested last June after responding to former City Council President Ben Stuckart’s request for protesters to block a bus from taking immigrants from one ICE detention center to another.
“This was the first conspiracy prosecution in Eastern Washington history under 18 U.S.C. Section 372—a Civil War-era law dusted off to punish members of the Spokane community who stood up for two young men who were unlawfully detained by ICE,” former acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker told The Spokesman-Review in a statement. “I hope that moving forward DOJ will focus on the crimes that matter most to keep our families safe and to build trust with the communities that most need and deserve law enforcement protection.”
“The Administration has a demonstrable history of using the Department of Justice to silence and punish its critics. Using the power of government to deter criticism is undemocratic and counter to the values of our state and the country,” Baker said.
“Since the federal charges were filed, I have maintained this prosecution was politically motivated. It was meant to make an example out of people who disagreed with federal immigration policy. The right to peacefully protest and criticize the government is a cornerstone of our democracy,” she said in a statement. “We cannot allow these verdicts to silence us.”
Mavalwalla, a combat veteran, and Forral and Archer, both activists, now face a maximum sentence of six years in federal prison or up to $250,000 in fines. Their attorneys said they intend to appeal the decision.
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