Goodman Charged with Obstruction; Felony Riot Charges Pending Against
Kouddous and Salazar
ST. PAUL--Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous
and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police custody in St. Paul
following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on Monday afternoon.
watch video of the arrest
All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel
Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his arms scraped and
bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back. Salazar's violent
arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she was slammed to the ground
while yelling, "I'm Press! Press!," resulted in her nose bleeding, as well as
causing facial pain. Goodman's arm was violently yanked by police as she was
arrested.
On Tuesday, Democracy Now! will broadcast video of these arrests, as well as
the broader police action. These will also be available on:
www.democracynow.org
Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of
Kouddous and Salazar who were arrested while they carried out their journalistic
duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention.
Goodman's crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of
the press.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and
Salazar were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a felony. While the three have
been released, they all still face charges stemming from their unlawful arrest.
Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of suspicion of felony riot, while
Goodman has been officially charged with obstruction of a legal process and
interference with a "peace officer."
Democracy Now! forcefully rejects all of these charges as false and an
attempt at intimidation of these journalists. We demand that the charges be
immediately and completely dropped.
Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and condemns this
action by Twin Cities' law enforcement as a clear violation of the freedom of
the press and the First Amendment rights of these journalists.
During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested, law
enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and
excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several dozen demonstrators
were also arrested during this action, including a photographer for the
Associated Press.
Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in
the United States. She has received journalism's top honors for her reporting
and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The arrest of
Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and the subsequent criminal charges and threat of
charges are a transparent attempt to intimidate journalists.
Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program that
airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe.
