After a three-day trial, the six-member jury returned verdicts of not guilty to charges of failure to disperse and interference with official acts.
Andrea Sahouri says her acquittal Wednesday on two criminal charges sends an important message about recognizing the rights of journalists to do their jobs. « The jury made the right decision, » said Sahouri, a reporter for the Des Moines Register. « They made the decision to uphold democracy, a just democracy, the freedom of the press, First Amendment rights, the list goes on. » Sahouri was arrested while covering the George Floyd protests in May 2020, and charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts, both simple misdemeanors. Police claimed she remained in the area of the May 31 protest in Des Moines despite orders to leave, and tried to pull away when a Des Moines police officer pepper-sprayed her and detained her. After a three-day trial, the six-member jury returned a verdict Wednesday of not guilty on both charges. Sahouri’s then-boyfriend, Spenser Robnett, was arrested with her and faced the same charges, and he also was acquitted on both counts. Sahouri’s arrest and the fact that the charges went to trial were widely criticized as an attack on press freedom. The three-day trial did not broadly discuss First Amendment issues, but Sahouri, a colleague who was with her and Register Executive Editor Carol Hunter all testified that Sahouri’s presence in the protest area was the very core of what journalists do. After the verdict was announced, media and civil liberties groups praised the outcome. Amnesty International in a statement said the case is part of a growing trend of U.S. police forces « committing widespread and egregious human rights violations » in response to demonstrations. Live updates: Last day of Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri’s trial “Journalists must be able to report on scenes of protest without fear of retribution. The right of the media to do their work is essential to the right of freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, » Amnesty researcher Denise Bell said. “Clearly, the jury saw these charges for what they are — completely ridiculous. » The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa denounced what it called an « outlandish prosecution » and called in a statement for reform at the Polk County Attorney’s Office. « The facts of [Sahouri’s] arrest are appalling, but the fact that the state has pressed on in prosecuting her after these facts became apparent has been an embarrassment for Polk County and the State of Iowa, attracting national and international condemnation, » Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen said. Sahouri released a statement after the verdict thanking her friends and family, colleagues and community for their support throughout the case. She also thanked her attorneys. In an interview, Sahouri said the charges and trial have been a heavy burden for the past 10 months. « It’s really a tough feeling to go through this trial and have the state of Iowa trying to bring you down and trying to make you seem like you’re doing something wrong, when you’re really just doing your job, » she said. Before the trial, prosecutors had offered to drop the interference charge if Sahouri pleaded guilty to failure to disperse.
