Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber wait for the Public Order Emergency Commission to begin, Nov. 1, 2022 in Ottawa. The drawn-out criminal trial of "Freedom Convoy" organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is expected to wind down this week as lawyers prepare to deliver their final arguments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – The long, drawn-out criminal trial of “Freedom Convoy” organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is winding down as lawyers prepare to deliver their final arguments this week.
They were among several organizers who brought a huge number of demonstrators and big-rig trucks to Ottawa in 2022 to protest pandemic-era public health restrictions and vaccine mandates.
Their criminal trial began in September 2023 and has been plagued with delays that have dragged the proceedings on for nearly a year.
Lich and Barber are both accused of mischief, intimidation and several charges related to counselling others to break the law.
Barber also faces a charge of counselling others to disobey a court order.
As part of its closing arguments, the Crown intends to prove the two conspired in lockstep to organize an illegal protest, and that evidence against one of them should apply to both.
Lich and Barber’s lawyers have argued throughout the trial that organizing a protest is not an illegal activity and is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2024.
