Kahn-Tineta Horn’s court ordeal is finally be over.
The Mohawk traditionalist from Kahnawake has been in court since January fighting assault and obstruction charges levied against her by two SQ officers. In May, she was acquitted of the charges, but the Crown appealed. That appeal was turned down by the Quebec Superior Court on Sept. 30.
The charges stem from an incident outside Kahnawake in which two SQ officers tried to arrest Horn for an unpaid parking ticket. Horn resisted when one of the officers grabbed her by the arm and twisted her wrists. She smacked that officer in the face, then kicked the other officer’s leg.
The officers eventually dragged her to their car, where they proceeded to beat her badly. The beatings continued at the police station, she says. Horn, 54, later had to be taken to a hospital in Chateauguay.
Horn’s lawyer argued successfully that she was within her rights since the officers had no reason to arrest her for a simple parking violation. A summons to appear in court would have been enough.
Like many Mohawks who were behind the barricades during the 1990 Oka Crisis, Horn has been repeatedly harassed by the SQ in the last four years.
