Award winning American journalist and host of Democracy Now! (DN), Amy Goodman, was arrested at the opening of the Republican National Convention in St.Paul.
Two of DN's producers were also cuffed as were another 280 people. According to DN's website, Amy was arrested when she questioned officers why her two producers were detained. She is charged with obstruction of justice. The producers have pending felony riot charges.
The officers were clearly in the wrong. Accredited journalists have the constitutional right under the first amendment to report. Amy's actions and her questions were not an obstruction of justice. Instead, the actions of the arresting officers were in direct violation of article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Video footage of the arrest:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/oYjyvkR0bGQ" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
