Pastor Pleads Not Guilty After Arrest at Chinese Embassy Sidewalk Protest
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney faces a misdemeanor unlawful entry charge, and his lawyers say the case tests whether a public sidewalk in the nation's capital stays open to prayer and protest.
WASHINGTON —
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, leader of the Christian Defense Coalition, pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Oct. 21, to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful entry stemming from his arrest during a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, The Christian Post reported.
Mahoney was arraigned in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and took part by phone from Idaho, according to the Post. A judge ordered him to stay off the sidewalk outside the embassy while the case is pending. His next court date is Nov. 20.
Mahoney was arrested in late September while protesting the Chinese government's human rights record on the sidewalk in front of the embassy. He told the Post he had laid down a red fabric bearing the names of people persecuted by Beijing, including jailed Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lai, Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs.
According to Mahoney and his attorneys at the American Center for Law and Justice, embassy officials came outside and told U.S. Secret Service officers the sidewalk belonged to the embassy and that Mahoney had no permission to be there. Mahoney refused to leave and was arrested. He said he spent five hours in a holding cell.
“My own government arrested me for demonstrating and praying on a public sidewalk,” Mahoney said. He told the Post he has been arrested at least 112 times over decades of advocacy but never before outside the Chinese Embassy.
ACLJ attorney Jordan Sekulow, who is handling the case, said, “Sidewalks are public forums protected by the First Amendment.” The group said it had written to the Secret Service before the arrest to argue the sidewalk is not Chinese property. The reports did not include a response from the embassy or the Secret Service.
Mahoney said the protest came shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States and a state dinner held in his honor. “We will continue to fight this and know we will prevail,” he said. The case returns to court Nov. 20.
This report is based on The Christian Post and American Center for Law and Justice. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the details.
