There is a risk of up to 20 years imprisonment
Right-wing extremists sentenced for storming US Capitol
Trump supporters stormed the Washington legislature on January 6, 2021 because they did not want to accept the presidential election. Now four men have been convicted by a grand jury.
Published: 13 minutes ago
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On January 6, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.
Several members of the extreme right-wing militia “Oath Keepers” have been sentenced a good two years after the storming of the US Capitol. A jury found four men guilty on Monday in the capital Washington of “seditious conspiracy” – a crime rarely used in the country’s judicial history, as several US media reported unanimously.
The accused were accused of plotting to use force to prevent the democratic transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election. Only in November was the leader of the militia, Stewart Rhodes, also convicted of “seditious conspiracy”.
The sentence for those convicted will be determined at a later date – a date for this has not yet been set. A maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison can be imposed for “seditious conspiracy”.
The crime is not easy to prove. To do this, the prosecution must prove that two or more people conspired to overthrow the US government or to use force to defy its authority. The men’s lawyers had argued during the trial that the defendants had not planned a conspiracy and were only following the leader of the militia.
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump, who was voted out at the time, stormed the Houses of Parliament in Washington to prevent Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory in November 2020 from being confirmed – several people were killed. The attack on the heart of US democracy shook the country. Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech.