On 24 July 2021, I was charged with a federal offense at Vancouver International Airport in Canada after landing from Norway via Paris.

For months, I couldn’t find a lawyer in Canada to represent me. My crime was too heinous. I couldn’t get any sympathy from anyone in Canada. No lawyer could come to terms with representing me. Finally, some lawyer with the non-profit “Democracy Fund” in Canada agreed to take my case. I accepted, because there were not many options, committing to provide them with a significant donation upon conclusion of my case.

The months leading to the trial were an utter gong show. First I got emails from lawyers saying that their bills weren’t paid by the “Democracy Fund”, followed by back and forth emails of other lawyers bashing each others, and unfortunately, feeling it was necessary to involve me in their communications.