Eve Tetaz, 76, is a retired Washington, D.C. public schoolteacher and a peace and justice activist. Tetaz was arrested half a dozen times during the first half of 2007 for nonviolent civil resistance during protests against the war and occupation of Iraq.
Tetaz was one of 16 anti-torture protesters who were arrested for a protest on October 17, 2006 in front of the White House. The arrests occurred the same day President George W. Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act.
“The right to peacefully and non-violently petition the government is the cornerstone of democracy,” Tetaz said. “I was obeying a higher law, which decries the crimes against humanity committed in Iraq.”
In 2007, here are a number of times Eve has been arrested:
Jan. 11 — Eve and 88 others were arrested inside the D.C. Federal Court while demanding the closure of Guantanamo Bay and demanding detainees be tried in court. This date marked 5 years that Guantanamo has been open.
Feb. 5 — Senator McCain’s office, along with people from Code Pink and Kathy Kelly (Nobel Peace Prize nominee) with VCNV, and a few others.
March — Christian Peace Witness in front of the White House (with 221 other Christians advocating for peace)
March — Outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office with Code Pink.
April — A few hours after her trial was dismissed stemming from the Oct. 2006 action, Eve and 13 others chained themselves to the White House Fence.
May — Eve was arrested with Cindy Sheehan and 31 others while blocking a street on Capitol Hill. This was the day after Mother’s Day.
In May and June she was arrested twice for violating a stay away order from Capitol Hill. The second of these she was arrested the same day in a separate action in front of the White House.
Tetaz is also the founder of Life Pathways, a non-profit organization helping single parents become financially independent and trained in the field of health care. She is a member of the Church of the Savior, and has been an advocate for the poor on issues of economics and social justice.
Many activists, including Cindy, Ann Wright, Rev. Yearwood, have came out in support of Eve before her hearing and sentencing in early November when she was sentenced to 7 days in jail for violations incurred while protesting in DC against the war in Iraq.
Mark Goldstone, criminal defense and constitutional lawyer with National Lawyers Guild in Washington, D.C. He has represented thousands of political protesters representing a myriad of progressive issues since 1985. He chairs the Demonstration Support Committee of the DC Chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild. Mark is right in the middle of all the DC protests having advised activists on what to do when arrested and facing the legal system, including the recent case with Eve Tetaz - the 76 year old former public high school teacher sentenced to 7 days in jail for charges brought against her while protesting the Iraq war.
