Twenty-eight members of the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho, including eight of nine sitting council members, have been charged for protesting megaload shipments through the reservation.

The public nuisance charges were laid in tribal court on Wednesday, The Lewiston Tribune reported. The tribal members are accused of blocking traffic and refusing to obey tribal officers' orders.

If any of the council members are convicted, they could be removed from office. The tribal constitution calls for automatic forfeiture of his or her seat.

Chairman Silas Whitman was among those arrested last month for trying to block a truck carrying heavy equipment through the reservation. A second truck is due September 18 and the tribe is in federal court in hopes of stopping it.

Get the Story:
28 Nez Perce tribal members charged in tribal court for megaload protest (AP 9/12)
28 tribal members charged in megaload blockade (The Lewiston Tribune 9/12)

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