Print
Subscribe
Native leader wins new trial on hate crimes charges
Friday, June 9, 2006
David Ahenakew, a former chief of the Assembly of First Nations, was wrongly convicted of hate crimes and must receive a new trial, a judge ordered on Thursday.
Ahenakew acknowledged making derogatory remarks about Jewish people and the Holocaust.
He told a tribal gathering and a newspaper reporter in a follow-up interview that Adolf Hitler was right when he "fried" the Jews.
After a highly charged trial that was attended by many Natives who believed the prosecution was a sham, Ahenakew was convicted of violating Saskatchewan's hate crimes law and was fined $5,000.
But Chief Justice Robert Laing of the Court of Queen's Bench said the lower court failed to take into account evidence that Ahenakew didn't mean to promote hatred.
The 35-page decision also said the confrontational nature of the interview with the reporter must be considered.
Ahenakew is a former chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
Get the Story:
Judge orders new trial for David Ahenakew
(CBC 6/8)
Ex-Native leader will get new trial (CP 6/9)
Ahenakew hate crime conviction overturned (The Saskatoon StarPhoenix 6/9)
Queen's Bench Decision:
Ahenakew v. Queen (June 8, 2006)
Lower Court Decision:
The
Queen v. Ahenakew (July 8, 2005)
Relevant Links:
Canadian Jewish Congress -
http://www.cjc.ca
Related Stories:
Native leader challenges hate crime
conviction (04/04)
Native leader
stripped of Order of Canada membership (07/12)
Native leader found guilty of hate crime
(7/11)
Native leader awaits verdict in
hate crimes case (7/7)
Native leader's
hate crimes trial comes to a close (06/22)
Commentary: Natives, Jews divided by 'one
bigot' (04/19)
Native leader blasts
media over hate crimes trial (04/12)
Native leader's hate crimes trial comes to an end
(4/8)
Native leader offers diabetes
defense for hate crime (4/7)
Native
leader's hate crimes trial a raucous affair (4/6)
Native leader on trial for anti-Semitic remarks
(4/5)
Native leader's hate crimes trial
delayed again (11/01)
First Nation
leaders return from trip to Israel (08/18)
First Nation leaders head to Israel to build
relations (08/10)
Aboriginal leader's
hate crimes case delayed again (07/01)
Jewish groups oppose Native leader's nomination
(01/28)
Native leader pleads not guilty
to hate crime (10/02)
Native
leader's hate crimes case postponed again (08/28)
Report: Native leader has long held racist
views (08/15)
Hate crimes case
against Native leader continues (07/29)
Native leader charged with hate
crime for remarks (06/12)
Hate crimes charges mulled against
tribal leader (03/26)
Native
and Jewish leaders meet in Canada (01/09)
A different kind of debate on race
(12/19)
Native Trent Lott faces
criminal probe (12/18)
Apology sought for Hitler remarks
(12/17)
First Nations upset
with Hitler remark (12/16)
Copyright © 2000-2006 Indianz.Com
