“She is free!” Supporters of American journalist Amy Goodman were an ecstatic lot as they gathered outside Morton County Courthouse in North Dakota in the United States yesterday. The court had rejected charges of rioting against the host of Democracy Now! — an “independent, daily global news hour”.

Goodman had surrendered to North Dakota authorities early on October 17, 2016. She was charged with participating in a riot for covering the protest against Dakota Access Pipeline. Goodman had reported on how dogs were unleashed on protesters and they were attacked with pepper spray.

“The judge’s decision to reject the state’s attorney, Ladd Erickson’s attempt to prosecute a journalist, is a great vindication of the 1st amendment,” Goodman said yesterday in a Facebook live video uploaded on Democracy Now!. In the same video, Goodman’s lawyer, Tom Dickson, told a gathering of protestors that charges against the journalist have been dropped.

“The judge refused to find probable cause for that charge (engaging in riot). The case against Amy Goodman has been dismissed,” he said.

North Dakota is witnessing a strong Native American movement against Dakota Access Pipeline. The protestors are demanding a ban on the construction of the pipeline, which will destroy many burial grounds and sacred sites of the community. They also fear that any rupture in the pipeline will pollute river Missouri.