Not guilty verdict for Hawaiian elders protesting telescope
HONOLULU (AP) — Four Native Hawaiians arrested in 2019 while protesting against construction of a giant telescope on Hawaii’s highest peak were not guilty of obstructing the mountain’s access road, a judge ruled Friday.
Judge M. Kanani Laubach issued her verdict after a trial that began in January 2020 and saw significant delays because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Keli’i ’Ioane, Marie Alohalani Brown, Maxine Kahaulelio and Ranette Robinson were the first to go to trial out of 38 mostly Native Hawaiian kupuna, or elders, who were arrested during a swelling effort to stop construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The other cases are pending.
Those who oppose the $1.4-billion project say it will desecrate land on Mauna Kea held sacred to Native Hawaiians.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-hawaii-14010acc56fc6bf657e119b560c84cd5
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