New York – Peace activist Cindy Sheehan and three other women were convicted of trespassing for trying to deliver an anti-Iraq war petition to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
A Manhattan Criminal Court judge sentenced them immediately Monday to conditional discharge, which means they could face some form of penalty if they are arrested in the next six months, and ordered them to pay $95 in court surcharges.
Sheehan and about 100 other members of a group called Global Exchange were rebuffed in March when they tried to deliver a petition with about 72,000 signatures to the U.S. Mission’s headquarters across the street from the United Nations. Prosecutors said they were arrested after ignoring police orders to disperse and were reading the petition aloud on the sidewalk when officers arrested them.
After Monday’s sentencing, the women returned to the U.S. Mission; this time, their petition was accepted.
Sheehan, 49, of Vacaville, Calif., lost her 24-year-old son, Casey, in Iraq on April 4, 2004. She has emerged as one of the most vocal and high-profile opponents of the war, drawing international attention when she camped outside President Bush’s Texas ranch to protest.
