OTTAWA-
The Crown is seeking to revoke the bail of Tamara Lich, a leader of the “Freedom Convoy”, after she appeared alongside another organizer in an alleged breach of her terms.
Lich was charged in February with mischief, obstructing police, counseling others to commit mischief and intimidation for her role in the massive protest against COVID-19 restrictions that crippled downtown Washington. Ottawa for over three weeks.
She was released the following month with a long list of conditions, including an order not to communicate with the main organizers of the convoy, except through a lawyer or in the presence of a lawyer. She was also banned from using all social media.
Crown Attorney Moiz Karimjee told an Ottawa court on Tuesday that Lich breached one of his conditions by being seen with fellow protest leader Tom Marazzo at a recent gala, where she had accepted an award for organizing the protest.
He argued that she should be detained.
Lich’s attorney, Lawrence Greenspon, said he would challenge the revocation of Lich’s bail and seek his conditional release.
Det. Ottawa Police. Chris Benson, head of the Lich case, told the court he viewed video of Lich and Marazzo appearing together at the awards gala.
Greenspon asked Benson if he knew of any other evidence that Lich and Marazzo shared before or after the brief interaction in the video, which took place in “less than three seconds.”
He asked the detective if he knew that some attorneys from the Justice Center for Constitutional Liberties were present, some of whom act as his civil attorneys.
Benson said he believes a photograph showing Lich, Marazzo and others posing together at the awards show shows she broke her terms because of her physical closeness to him.
Lich monitored the hearing remotely from an Ontario detention center, watching via video link and listening from a cellphone, her blonde hair in a high bun.
Both Marazzo and Lich were key spokespersons for the winter convoy protest. Marazzo is also the leader of a group called Veterans 4 Freedom, which held several rallies in Ottawa over the Canada Day weekend.
Police have requested a Canada-wide arrest warrant for Lich for the alleged breach of her bail conditions and she was arrested last week in Medicine Hat, Alta., where she lives.
Benson said he oversaw Lich’s transport from Alberta to Ottawa after his arrest.
Lich’s surety, whose identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, said he saw the photo of Lich and Marazzo a few days after the event and immediately contacted Lich about it, fearing that a possible breach of bail conditions takes place.
The surety explained that Lich assured them that a lawyer was present at the gala.
Greenspon pointed out that the evidence brought against Lich to claim she breached the bail condition consisted of a very brief congratulatory interaction between her and Marazzo, adding that the attorneys approved the photo and were just off camera.
He argued that Benson had provided no evidence contradicting the terms of the bail conditions.
“These actions were so minimal that they amounted to not being prosecuted, let alone condemned,” he said.
The purpose of the bail condition was not to prevent the brief interaction and photo that took place, Greenspon said, but rather to prevent an event similar to the one that happened in Ottawa earlier. This year. He argued that the interactions in question were not likely to recur.
The case should have gone to a remand hearing or other remedy rather than the Canada-wide warrant that led to Lich’s detention for nine days, he said, noting an email showing the Crown asked the expansion of a first Ontario- wide mandate.
Justice of the Peace Paul Harris reserved his decision until the next court appearance on Friday.
Lich is charged for her role in the “Freedom Convoy” with a co-defendant, Chris Barber, who remains out on bail.
On Tuesday morning, Barber’s attorney was granted a publication ban on court documents showing Barber’s cellphone communications, except those with Lich.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
ctvnews Canada news