On December 14th, Rod Coronado entered a guilty plea in federal court in San Diego to one count of distribution of information related to the assembly of explosives and weapons of mass destruction. This was the charge that Rod had fought for almost two years and for which he faced approximately five to ten years in prison if found guilty at trial.

Many have characterized the prosecution of Rod Coronado as yet another assault in the government’s attempts to criminalize free speech and dissent. The charges were not related to any criminal action, but rather to a speech in which he described past actions he had taken in defense of the earth. Rod had previously done prison time for these actions and publicly stated he would not engage in such tactics in the future.

Rod had already gone to trial once this year on the San Diego charges. In September of 2007, a hung jury voted 8-4 for acquittal and in the ensuing weeks, prosecutors in the case stated that they would seek an additional indictment in Washington D.C., for a speech delivered at American University in January, 2003. In exchange for a guilty plea in the San Diego case, the U.S. government has agreed to ask only for a one year prison sentence and not to indict in D.C. In addition, Rod is not required to testify against anyone else in any other investigations.

Rod stated in an open letter that “hopefully this plea agreement will once and for all grant me closure in a well-known campaign of repression against me for my past involvement, association and support for covert campaigns against environmental destroyers and animal abusers..." Read More

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