Operation 8 charges dropped

Fantastic, long overdue news yesterday (tangatawhenua.com). All but four of those arrested under Operation 8 will have their charges dropped due to lack of evidence. Four years after their arrest, four years after being vilified by the state and media, after four years of stress and harassment. Congratulations to all those who finally have this weight removed from their lives. To the four remaining defendants, kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Each time the police have been shown up on this case, each time charges have been refused or dropped, the remaining charges become more obviously tenuous.

Fantastic post from Maia—The cost.

And now the media are back onside again, which must also be a relief for those whose lives the police have tried to ruin (not so much for the police). Eg from the NBR:

"Another chapter in the saga of malicious bungling by the police has come to a ridiculous end with charges being dropped against 11 of the accused in the Urewera 'terror' case... The whole story of the Urewera police raids has been woeful right from the start, and it aids the reputation of the state for over-reacting. The state has already spent what could be millions of dollars on the case, and the trial was set to become the most expensive in New Zealand’s criminal history. So this is embarrassing for the police, who it seems just didn’t have enough appropriate evidence to make their case..."

To the police, how much humiliation do you need? You fucked up, own it, let it go. Drop the charges.