The liberal city with a lengthy history of massive, frequent protests has taken hits from all sides — from demonstrators, some city officials, the president and now a judge — over the way it’s responded to crowds taking to the streets following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Those on the right say the mayor and police chief aren’t being tough enough on protesters who have taken over part of a neighborhood near downtown Seattle, while those on the left say police tactics have been far too harsh.

US District Judge Richard Jones sided with a Black Lives Matter group that sued the Seattle Police Department this week to halt the violent tactics it has used to break up protests.

Last weekend, officers used tear gas, pepper spray, and other force against crowds of protesters. Jones’ order halts those tactics for two weeks, though demonstrations this week have been calm.

Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best have apologized to peaceful protesters who were subjected to chemical weapons. But Best has said some demonstrators violently targeted police, throwing objects and ignoring orders to disperse. Both have faced calls to resign, which they have rejected.

The judge said those objecting to the police tactics make a strong case that the indiscriminate use of force is unconstitutional. Jones said weapons like tear gas and pepper spray fail to target “any single agitator or criminal” and they are especially problematic during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Because they are indiscriminate, they may even spill into bystanders’ homes or offices as they have done before,” Jones wrote, AP reported.

Durkan, a former US attorney, “believes the court struck the right balance to protect the fundamental constitutional right to exercise protest, with the need to also ensure public safety,” spokeswoman Kamaria Hightower said in an email.

Durkan also has requested reviews of police actions from the Office of Police Accountability and the city’s inspector general. Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste also said Friday the agency will stop using gas until further notice, particularly amid the pandemic.

This week, demonstrators have turned part of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood into a protest center with speakers, drum circles, and Black Lives Matter painted on a street near a police station. Police largely left the station after the chaos last weekend, when officers tear-gassed protesters and some demonstrators threw objects at them. Police sprayed tear gas just two days after the mayor and the police chief said they were temporarily halting its use.

Durkan tweeted that on Friday she visited the so-called autonomous zone — which has been criticized by US President Donald Trump and where people, including officers, come and go freely. She said she spoke with organizers about moving forward and noted that she’s always known Capitol Hill as a place for people to express themselves.

Trump has slammed her and Gov. Jay Inslee for not breaking up the occupation by “anarchists” and threatening to take action if they don’t. Both have assailed his comments and say they’re focusing on a peaceful resolution. The demonstrations have been calm since police left the area.

Michele Storms, executive director of the ACLU of Washington, said the group was pleased with the judge’s ruling.

“The city must allow for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, and it must address police accountability and excessive use of force,” Storms said in a statement.

The ruling came as massive crowds marched in the rain and some businesses temporarily closed in response to a call from Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County to launch a statewide general strike.

“As tens of thousands of people were gathering today to march silently and in solidarity against police brutality and misconduct, the US District Court affirmed their right to protest, free from state violence. That is a victory for today,” the group said in a statement.

Black Lives Matter encouraged supporters not to go to work or to work from home Friday and to learn about local elected officials and issues. Organizers have demands for the city, county, and state that include cutting at least $100 million from the Seattle police budget, ending cash bail, and declaring racism a public health crisis.

Durkan tweeted that she and the police chief participated in the march, saying Best and her Police Department leaders have been working “incredibly hard to adjust and improve every day.”

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste also said Friday his personnel will stop using gas until further notice, particularly amid the pandemic.

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Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Gholam Hossein Esmaeili said the case of Vahid Behzadi and his wife, Najva Lasheidaee, includes a mixture of crimes, such as disruption to the country’s currency market and car market.

The two have been sentenced on charges of major disruption to the country’s monetary and currency system, currency smuggling through dummy purchase orders, disrupting the system of distribution of commodities by purchasing more than 6,700 cars in advance from Iranian carmaker Saipa, and money-laundering involving a sum of 32 trillion rials, Esmaeili added.

The Judiciary spokesman noted that 24,700 gold coins and 100 kilograms of gold have been confiscated from the convicted woman’s dwelling.

He also noted that former CEO of Saipa car factory, Mahdi Jamali, has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for involvement in disruption to distribution mechanisms, while the former deputy head of the carmaker’s marketing department has been sentenced to 15 years.

Moreover, two parliamentarians, Mohammad Azizi and Fereidoon Ahmadi, have been sentenced to 61 months in prison each, he noted.

Since August 2018, Iran’s Judiciary has been holding public trials of individuals involved in major economic corruption cases.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has permitted the Judiciary to take special measures in order to confront economic corruption and called for “swift and just” legal action against financial crimes.

Earlier, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has described “outright and unequivocal” treatment of economic corruption as one of the Judiciary’s major duties, stressing that confronting economic corrupts must be decisive and effective.

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Mohammad-Hossein Aqasi said his client was still charged with rallying and collusion to commit crimes against national security, Tehran 24 reported on Saturday.

Rajabi, a member of the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation, has been jailed since January 25. He is one of 15 Iranian environmentalists detained in late January and February on suspicion of spying for the U.S. and Israel.

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