Crowdfunding Tamara Lich’s legal team to pay for defense in criminal trial for convoy costs

The charity organizing Tamara Lich’s criminal defense has announced that it is crowdfunding to cover the legal costs of charges stemming from Lich’s involvement in the 2022 Freedom Convoy trucker protest in Ottawa.

Lich’s criminal defense is being funded by The Democracy Fund (TDF), a Canadian charity that litigates on constitutional issues. In a press release on June 28, TDF announced it would be crowdfunding for Lich, who was charged with several minor, non-violent offenses, including mischief.

“Our crowdfunding goal and cost of expert legal representation is $300,000,” TDF spokeswoman Jessica Swietoniowski told The Epoch Times.

Lich, a grandmother from Medicine Hat, Alberta, who police say was a key organizer of a three-week protest in Ottawa that took place in January and February last year, told The Epoch Times that “murderers and rapists have shorter trials.”

“I look forward to this process and to the further revelation of the truth about how this was the largest, most peaceful protest in Canadian history,” she said.

“All Canadians who lined the highways and gathered peacefully in Ottawa should be proud of their success in holding the government accountable for their violations of the rights of millions of Canadians.”

49 days in jail

Alan Honner, TDF’s director of litigation, said Lich’s prosecution “shows how a prominent political dissident is being treated by our justice system.”

“Many people see Tamara as a political prisoner as her prosecution is passionate and she has been imprisoned for 49 days on relatively minor charges. She now faces a month-long process, which is prohibitively expensive for the average person,” he said.

Honner said Lich became “the face” of the protest and that “a lot is at stake for the outcome of her trial.”

“The truck convoy exposed the government’s willingness to invoke extraordinary powers to suppress a nationwide protest that was remarkably peaceful,” he added.

Lich has been found not guilty in court on any of the charges, which remain unproven. She was first arrested and charged on February 17, 2022.

Lich is represented by prominent Ottawa criminal defense attorney Lawrence Greenspon. The process will take four weeks and will begin on September 5. Lich is charged with several felonies, including mischief, advising mischief, obstructing police, advising to interfere with police, advising harassment, and harassment by blocking and blocking one or more highways. Greenspon told The Epoch Times on June 28.

Lich was subject to extensive and onerous bail conditions upon her release, including: “Keep the peace and be on your best behavior; Ms. Lich is prohibited from communicating with other pro-freedom activists, using social media, organizing or aiding protests, and entering downtown Ottawa except in court.

“The time for the trial was set on the basis of the anticipated list of witnesses the Crown intended to call, without prejudice,” Greenspon said.

He said it is the Crown’s prerogative to add to or subtract from the witness list at any time. The Crown has so far indicated that it wants to call nine witnesses. Greenspon said the final witness count is “still being discussed”.