Felony riot charges have been dropped against three journalists caught up in violent protests in Washington on January 20.
Federal prosecutors on January 30 announced that charges have been dropped against Alexander Rubenstein, a reporter with Russian state-funded RT television; documentary filmmaker John Keller; and independent journalist Matt Hopard.
Two other journalists, freelancer Aaron Cantu and independent journalist Shay Horse, still face charges. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Charges against one other journalist, Even Engel, were dropped on January 27.
Some 230 people were arrested in the riot, which was a protest against the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
RT’s press office on January 25 called Rubenstein’s arrest “an egregious violation of journalistic freedom.”
On January 24, the media-freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Dunja Mijatovic, expressed “concern” over the arrests.
