USA: JOURNALISTS FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES

Dear Attorney General Dhillon,

I am writing to express deep concern about the prosecution of Georgia Fort and other members of the press for simply covering a protest in Minneapolis on January 18, 2026. The arrest and subsequent prosecution of Georgia Fort and others from the press represent a disturbing escalation of a systemic disregard for human rights.

As I am sure you are aware, Article 19 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the United States has ratified, protects the right to freedom of expression, including press freedom and the right of journalists to seek and share information. For the Department of Justice to prosecute Georgia Fort and other members of the press with criminal charges, including a hate crime, for reporting on a protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota —where one of the pastors was an acting ICE field office director — is to target them for simply doing their job as journalists and breaches their human rights.

Reporting is not a crime. Rather, safeguarding freedom of expression and press freedom is essential to ensuring government officials and leaders are held accountable for their actions. These charges have a chilling and intimidating effect on journalists covering issues that deeply affect their communities.

I therefore strongly urge that you drop the charges against Georgia Fort and the other members of the press in the case of United States v. Levy Armstrong (0:26-cr-00025) in the District Court of Minnesota.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]