The individuals arrested for their participation in the Capitol Protest on Jan. 6 have languished in gulags around D.C. for about a year now. In many cases, Jan. 6 defendants are kept in horrific conditions under solitary confinement until their court date. Conservatives have begun shining a light on this blatant disregard for civil liberties.
However, a recent ‘not guilty’ verdict could mean the legal tides are turning for Jan. 6 defendants.
A man who admitted to entering the Capitol building on Jan. 6 was acquitted of charges brought against him on Wednesday afternoon after successfully arguing police let him through.
This acquittal marks a significant legal shift in how Jan. 6 cases are handled. Instead of throwing the so-called ‘insurrectionists’ behind bars to rot in a cell that resembles those in Guantanamo Bay, it appears at least one judge is actually willing to consider the facts.
U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden found Matthew Martin, an engineer from New Mexico, not guilty on Wednesday. Martin was one of the many arrested in April 2021. He was charged with entering and staying in an off-limits building, as well as disorderly and disruptive conduct.
Martin’s defense rested solely on the fact that he, along with many others, was let into the Capitol building by police officers. All of America saw this go down after multiple videos surfaced after the protest.
Martin simply believed he had entered lawfully after being given permission by the police.
“I saw no violence,” Martin said of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot during the trial.
Though prosecutors tried to argue Martin should have known better as he walked past “ARE CLOSED” signs and proceeded to record and encounter the chaos taking place, McFadden said during his decision that Martin’s “plausible” belief outweighed the arguments, according to the outlet.
Martin said in court he had no regrets for going to Washington to participate, but would likely avoid the Capitol building if given the chance.
“I enjoyed everything else. I enjoyed the rally. It’s hard for me to say I regret coming to Washington, D.C.,” Martin said.
Martin’s ‘not guilty verdict comes as a number of protestors have either been slapped with guilty charges or are still rotting in some D.C. gulag.
Author: Asa McCue
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