Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective 4 Make Plea Deal to Drop Federal Charges

The Embassy Protection Collective Four received yet another legal victory when federal charges issued by US government prosecutors were dropped on Wednesday.

Popular Resistance reported on June 3 that Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia moved to drop the federal charges of “interfering with certain protective functions” leveled against Adrienne Pine, David Paul, Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers.

“Today’s sentence marks yet another victory in the effort to protect the Venezuelan Embassy,” noted the four activists in the release.

The quartet, along with other activists who formed the Embassy Protection Collective, defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC, from being unlawfully handed over to the US-backed, self-proclaimed “interim president” of Venezuela, Juan Guaido.

The 37-day effort came to an end on May 16, 2019, when US Secret Service agents stormed the building and arrested the four activists who remained, the rest having been forced to leave by waning supplies and the cutting off of water and electricity to the building.

Sputnik reported in February that Judge Howell had declared a mistrial in the case after the jury was unable to reach a verdict, despite being provided more time to deliberate.

While the federal charges were dropped, the four members of the Embassy Protection Collective have each been placed on six months of probation and fined $500 in connection with a more minor charge of “incommoding” – which translates to “basically causing a disturbance,” according to the Wednesday release.

Zeese told the Council on Hemispheric Affairs that Wednesday’s verdict is not the end of the Embassy Protection Collective’s fight alongside the people of Venezuela.

“I want to express my solidarity with the Venezuelan people and all people who believe in protecting human rights and resisting the US illegal exploitation and aggression,” Flowers told the outlet. “I know that together we will build a world based on cooperation, peace and respect for law.”

The Embassy Protection Collective also announced in the Popular Resistance release that they plan to host a webinar with Venezeualan social movement leaders “in an effort to build international solidarity and opposition to US imperialism.”

Sourse: sputniknews.com