OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – An Ontario judge ordered this afternoon that trucker Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich be immediately released on bail but with strict conditions. The decision came after Lich was earlier denied bail by a judge with ties to the Liberal Party of Canada.
“I find that this accused ought to be released,” ruled Justice John M. Johnston today.
According to Ottawa-based lawyer David Anber, who has been live-tweeting Lich’s case, in addition to her bail being granted, she is ordered to leave Ottawa within a day of release and be out of the province of Ontario within 72 hours. She is not allowed into Ontario unless for court reasons and must stay at her Alberta home.
She has been banned from using social media, to not get involved in protests against COVID rules, and to stay away from other convoy organizers who were arrested and charged. She is allowed to communicate via email, however.
Additionally, the surety is allowed to view Lich’s phone and other devices if desired.
Last Wednesday, Lich appeared in a court in shackles for a bail hearing review, but a decision was not made that day by Johnston, who deferred his ruling until today. During this hearing, Johnston was not thrilled she came into his court in shackles and ordered them removed.
On February 22, Lich was denied bail by Justice Julie Bourgeois.
Bourgeois in the past ran as a federal Liberal Party of Canada candidate and had the favor of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the time.
The Liberal friendly judge claimed that Lich could not be released due to “safety” reasons. One of the other convoy organizers, Chris Barber, was granted bail.
Before Lich’s first bail hearing, she had spent close to a week in an Ottawa jail under charges of “mischief” due to her involvement with the trucker Freedom Convoy demonstrations that lasted for three weeks in February.
She was arrested February 17, only two days after Trudeau enacted the Emergencies Act (EA), which he claimed was needed to deal with the Freedom Convoy protesters.
Lich has no history of any criminal charges from her past, and she was not involved in any violence during the Freedom Convoy.
Trudeau took the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, claiming he needed it to deal with the Freedom Convoy. The demonstrators had been in Ottawa for three weeks protesting COVID mandates.
Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23.
Trudeau had earlier called the truckers a “fringe minority” who hold “unacceptable views.” The reality, however, was that Freedom Convoy protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful.
Many Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MPs came out in support of the Freedom Convoy truckers, who stayed put for three weeks in Ottawa and did not leave until being ousted by force by the police, who used the EA as justification.
At least one Freedom Convoy organizer, Pat King, is still behind bars.