OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – A Canadian trucker who took part in the 2022 Freedom Convoy in protest against COVID mandates and who was zip-tied and denied access to legal counsel has been spared jail time after a court instead gave him probation.
In a court update, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said that Guy Meister, who was a peaceful trucker, was “denied access to legal counsel and held for hours in a freezing police van” after his arrest during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest and is now free.
The JCCF noted that Meister, who had no previous criminal record but a long history of volunteerism, received a conditional discharge and six months’ probation — avoiding jail time.”
Meister was arrested by police on February 18, 2022, after the large-scale police takedown of the Freedom Convoy protesters when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau authorized never-before-used emergency powers.
He was convicted of mischief and obstructing police after he parked his truck in downtown Ottawa in protest.
According to the JCCF, Meister was accosted by “heavily armed tactical officers in full riot gear, with no visible identification,” who proceeded to “smash” his truck’s window and arrested Mr. Meister at gunpoint.”
“Following his arrest, he was zip-tied and denied access to legal counsel. He was also held in sub-zero temperatures for over three hours inside an Ontario Provincial Police transport vehicle, without access to a washroom,” the JCCF noted.
He was then, according to the JCCF, “forced” to “sign an undertaking without any legal advice before releasing him to the cold streets of Ottawa.”
His truck was impounded.
As noted by lawyer Brian Doody, “Mr. Meister peacefully exercised his Charter right to protest – for this he was detained without access to a lawyer or basic necessities and his property purposefully damaged.”
Meister noted he is “incredibly grateful to the Justice Centre and to all the Canadians who support its work. Their support reminded me that I wasn’t alone.”
Despite the peaceful nature of the Freedom Convoy, Trudeau and his Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act to clear out protesters, an action a federal judge has since said was “not justified.” During the clear-out, an elderly lady was trampled by a police horse and many who donated to the cause had their bank accounts frozen.
The sentencing trial for Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber took place last week at a hearing. Earlier this year, they were found guilty of mischief in their roles in the 2022 convoy.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich revealed that the Canadian federal government is looking to put her in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years.
Sentencing is expected to take place in October.
