Chief Dsta'hyl of the Wet'suwet'en Nation appears via video conference from his home as he is under house arrest, as he is announced by Amnesty International as Canada's first-ever prisoner of conscience, during a news conference in West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The announcement marks the first time that Amnesty has declared a person held in Canada as a prisoner of conscience. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Amnesty International is calling for the release of a First Nations chief who was convicted of criminal contempt, and is calling him Canada’s first prisoner of conscience.
Chief Dsta’hyl, who represents one of the clans within the Wet’suwet’en Nation, also goes by the name Adam Gagnon.
He was arrested in 2021 for breaching a court order not to impede construction of the Coastal GasLink liquefied natural gas pipeline, and is currently confined to house arrest.
Amnesty argues this amounts to unjust confinement of the chief and others who defend their land and rights during a climate emergency.
The group says the court order is unjust because it bans activities that should be protected under the Charter right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
This is the first time Amnesty International has recognized a prisoner of conscience within Canada, and it is seeking his “immediate and unconditional release.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said Chief Dsta’hyl was convicted of criminal mischief.
