Arrests of media covering Indigenous rights are part of a continued effort to silence land defenders, legal experts say – The Star

Nov. 21, 2021

Following the arrest and detainment of two reporters and 13 others by the RCMP in British Columbia Friday night, legal experts and reporters say the continued restriction of press freedoms while covering Indigenous rights is an attempt to silence the voices of land defenders, while simultaneously curbing reporting on the issue.

And it’s something that has happened before, particularly when there is a need to document police action and violence against Indigenous people, they say.

“It’s appalling that this is happening … but also not surprising because this is what Indigenous peoples and Indigenous nations deal with day in and day out,” said Brandi Morin, a journalist from Treaty 6 in Alberta who identifies as Cree, Iroquois and French.

Photojournalist Amber Bracken, who was reporting for The Narwhal, and freelance filmmaker Michael Toledano were arrested while they were reporting from Wet’suwet’en territory and they remain in RCMP custody.

Read More: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/11/21/arrests-of-media-covering-indigenous-rights-are-part-of-a-continued-effort-to-silence-land-defenders-legal-experts-say.html