UNBC students released, days after arrest at protest in North Dakota
Family members are still waiting to find out when or if the grad students can return to Canada
Two graduate students from the University of Northern British Columbia have been released from jail after they were arrested for protesting a pipeline in North Dakota, but it is uncertain when or if they will be able to return to Canada, according to one of their professors.
Nicole Schafenacker and Katriona Auerbach were arrested Thursday, along with more than 100 other people protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline over concerns it will infringe Native American rights and damage the environment and local water supply.
Their graduate studies supervisor, professor Sarah de Leeuw, says it's been difficult to find information about what's happened to the women since.
"Nicole's mom, she had heard from Nicole that Nicole was released [late Saturday]," de Leeuw explained. "Katriona's partner was able to be in touch with the correctional facility where Katriona had been held, and that correctional facility did say that she had been released, but we [have not heard] from Katriona herself."
"We also don't know if Katriona and Nicole are in touch with each other."
De Leeuw believes the two women were taken to separate facilities, and either do not have or cannot use their phones, adding to the confusion.
Charges pending, says professor
According to de Leeuw, charges are pending against the women, and it is unclear how that will affect their ability to return to Canada.
"I think we're all keeping our fingers tightly crossed that there will not be enough evidence to prosecute ... and the fact that they have criminal charges against them won't stand in the way of them coming back home safely to Canada."
De Leeuw said her students felt deeply that they should support the pipeline protests, and she supports their efforts.
"If we live in a world where our students are at the whim of mass arrest in foreign countries, we live in times that we have to pay attention to and worry about," she said. "At a very personal level I just want to make sure that my students were treated with respect and dignity."
"I'm a concerned supervisor and I imagine that there are Canadians across the country who are concerned about this as well."
On Friday, UNBC president Daniel Weeks issued a statement in support of his students' rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.