More than two years after the storming of the US Capitol in Washington, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of a far-right militia, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The public prosecutor had asked for 25 years.
Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia was found guilty of seditious conspiracy in November.
It is the highest penalty imposed so far for the attack on the seat of the US Parliament in January 2021, according to US media. The former paratrooper and later lawyer Rhodes was found guilty by a jury in November of, among other things, “seditious conspiracy”.
The legal term also includes attempting to overthrow the US government by force. The sentence is the heaviest in the trials of more than 1,000 people charged in connection with the attack.
Legend:
Rhodes founded the Oath Keepers in 2009. They often appear heavily armed at demonstrations and political events.
Keystone/AP Photo/Susan Walsh
The 58-year-old was found guilty of conspiring to use force to prevent the democratic transfer of power after Republican President Donald Trump was voted out of office in 2020.
Trump supporters had stormed the seat of the US Congress to prevent Democrat Joe Biden’s November 2020 victory from being confirmed. There were several deaths. Trump had incited his supporters in a speech.
SRF 4 News, May 25, 2023, 8:00 p.m.; sda/reuters/hesa;fulu
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