“The room is full” announces the court guard as he closes the doors. One of the defendants barely manages to get permission for her husband and son to attend the trial, despite two seats being empty. The audience persuade the court guard to allow more people in – one of whom is Ragnar Aðalsteinsson, the lawyer of four of the defendants, who has been waiting outside the court room knocking on the door and he is clearly angry at the court’s shenanigans and asks what in the world is going on.
Finally, photographers and camera crews are allowed a peek inside and fully exploit the opportunity taking a long while inside filming and photographing everyone up until the last minute when the judge takes his seat. It seems the Icelandic media has finally discovered an interest in a case that should have been followed with much more enthusiasm and professional integrity by the local media, but when they can produce a snappy headline they are waiting in the wings.
At 08:31 the judge begins reading his ruling with no hesitation. He reads out the ruling very quickly, and yet mumbling, making it hard for anyone to grasp what he has actually decided. And that’s that! All over and a sense of disbelief fills the room, the audience talking amongst themselves trying to confirm what he actually said. One of whom calls out: “Scandal!”. No one really understands what has actually happened…
The ruling of the judge is following: Two of the nine have been given suspended prison sentences. Andri Leó Lemarquis is given a 4 month sentence, execution suspended for two years if the he keeps probation. Þór Sigurðsson is given a 2 month sentence suspended for two years. In addition, Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir and Steinunn Gunnlaugsdóttir have been ordered to pay a fine of 100 thousand ISK (failure to comply will result in an 8 day prison sentence).
The other five were acquitted.
What Andri appears to have been found guilty of is biting two police officers and pushing a parliament guard, whereas Þór is adjudged to have held open the door to the public entrance of parliament (defined, apparently, as an act of violence!). Andri Leó was acquitted of the absurd private tort of parliament guard María Dítaz.
Sólveig and Steinunn are found guilty of having interfered parliament guards and police officers in their duties.
In other words: Less than half of the nine accused have been found guilty of anything, and the ones who were, were mostly found guilty of minor infractions such as holding open a door … This has to be a very minimal return on behalf of the prosecution’s effort: no break-in, no conspiracy and no attack on parliament or plans thereof.
However, a serious alarm has been sounded: protests are now criminalized in Iceland and the authorities will not hesitate to put all their weight behind surreal accusations, regardless of their sanity. To say this is a sad conclusion would be a powerless understatement…
One Trackback/Pingback
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by franzys999, IMMI and Berglind Bergsdóttir, reykjavik9. reykjavik9 said: News: : The Ruling in the case of the Reykjavik Nine http://www.rvk9.org/2011/02/16/the-ruling-in-the-case-of-the-reykjavik-nine/ [...]
Post a Comment