Crown Weighing Possible Appeal Of Ahenakew Ruling

Crown Weighing Possible Appeal Of Ahenakew Ruling

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 15:42

Crown prosecutors say they will make a decision on what to do about the hate crime case against David Ahenakew in the next week or so.

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court’s ruling that threw out the former national chief’s conviction for comments he made about the Jews.

Jewish advocacy groups are urging the Crown to ask the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the case, and say the ruling raises the bar too high when it comes to proving someone intended to promote hate.

But Ahenakew’s lawyer, Doug Christie, says the Crown should back off and let his 74-year-old client live out the rest of his days in peace.

The Crown says it needs to study the decision before it proceeds.

(courtesy of The Canadian Press)