Lawyers ready to fight for freedom as 'Coutts Three' face pre-trial hearing

The three men who police say were the 'leaders' of the Coutts border blockade, Marco Van Huigenbos, Alex Van Herk and George Janzen, had a pre-trial hearing Monday afternoon at a courthouse here in Lethbridge, Alberta.

I caught up with the lawyers representing the men, known as the 'Coutts Three', to hear what they thought after the hearing. Now, because of a publication ban on this case, we didn't get into the details of what went on in the Lethbridge Court House, but I wanted to know why they thought this case was important and what motivated them to fight until the end for these men.

“We didn't come here to do anything more than our upmost for them in their defence,” says Michael Johnston, who represents Alex Van Herk and George Janzen. “Not to be glib about it, but we give every client we have a good fight,” added Ryan Durran, counsel for Marco Van Huigenbos.

The pair travelled to Lethbridge from Ottawa to help fight for the Coutts Three, thanks to generous donations from Rebel News viewers through a partnership with The Democracy Fund, a registered Canadian charity.

To make a tax-eligible donation to support their legal fight — or to help support our independent journalism, or even both — visit CouttsThree.com.

This isn't just an important case about defending individuals. This is the government's attempts to criminalize an entire peaceful protest, that's why the prosecution is putting so much effort into this.

It's not just about three men who are, frankly, not that prominent in the world. It's about what those three men stand for. So from my point of view, the lawyers aren't just fighting to defend their innocence, but to defend the entire peaceful political process.

That's the key to civil disobedience, isn't it — to do it peacefully. That's why it's so important to see these three men, the Coutts Three, acquitted of these charges.

If you want to help these three men in this important legal fight, go to CouttsThree.com, where you'll also find all of our reporting as the trial unfolds.