An international climate advocacy organization called on President Biden to pardon four activists charged with felonies in connection with climate demonstrations before leaving office.
Two of the activists, Donald Zepeda and Jackson Green, threw washable paint powder on the protective case used for the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives last February. They were sentenced to two years and 18 months, respectively, for felony destruction of government property.
The remaining two, Joanna Smith and Timothy Martin, have been charged with conspiracy to commit an act against the United States and injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit for throwing washable paint on the protective case around Edgar Degas’s sculpture Little Dancer Aged Fourteen in 2023. Smith was sentenced to 60 days in prison and banned from all museums and monuments in the U.S., while Martin, whose trial begins next week, could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
The activists have said their actions, which did not cause any permanent damage, were intended to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change.
In a statement, the organization Climate Rights International expressed concerns that the charging and sentencing of the four activists are part of a broader pattern of harsh charging and sentencing for acts of civil disobedience.
“The United States has a long history of peaceful protest, from the Suffragettes to the civil rights movement, to address urgent social and political issues,” Brad Adams, executive director at Climate Rights International, said in a statement. “Climate activists today are acting in that tradition yet have faced ridiculous charges of conspiracy against the United States and disproportionate prison sentences. President Biden should follow the logic of his own strong calls for climate action and pardon them.”
The letter comes after Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life and granted pardons to another 39 people, along with the controversial pardon of his son Hunter on federal tax charges.
