The Oglala Sioux Tribe forbids Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem to reserve a reserve due to anti-protest laws.

The Oglala Sioux tribe, the largest tribe in South Dakota, has banned the governor of that state from his reserve after supporting two recently passed laws aimed at deterring the protests of the Keystone XL pipeline, according to a letter sent Thursday at the tribe the governor, she was "not welcome" on tribal lands.

"I hereby inform you that you are not welcome to visit our homelands, the Pine Ridge Preserve, until you cancel your support for [the two laws] and tell your state and your country that the First Amendment's rights to free political speech are among the truths that seem obvious to you, "wrote Julian Bear Runner, president of the tribe, in a letter to Governor Kristi Noem.

According to the Washington Post, this decision is dramatic and a spokesman for the tribe said he would not remember another time when leaders would have banned a representative of the state government. According to the letter, the ban will remain in effect until it withdraws its support for both laws, which allow officials to sue activists for something that she has called for. "sham", a term that the American Union of Civil Liberties claims the state has invented to go after the demonstrations that could disrupt the construction of the pipeline.

Under the laws passed at the end of March, the state can prosecute the activists in case of violence or offense at a protest that they have organized, promoted or even encouraged, and l & # 39; 39, the lawsuit money can be used to pay damages or interest law enforcement costs. The ACLU challenges laws in federal courts, arguing that its overly vague language confers broad power to repress political expression and discourage discourse.

The Oglala Sioux, many of whom oppose the pipeline because it would cross sacred tribal lands and have participated in demonstrations against it, also claimed that state legislators had drafted bills with the government. assistance from TransCanada, the company responsible for the park construction project. pipeline, and without that of the tribe, in violation of the tribe's sovereignty under the treaty signed with the United States – something that the leaders have "particularly offended", according to the letter.

"We have a superior legal title to all the lands west of the Missouri River that you and / or the big tankers are trying to encroach on and attack," Bear Runner wrote in a statement. the letter. "These are our lands and our waters. Before going to our homelands, the Sioux Oglala Tribal Council must cancel its action as of May 1, 2019. "

According to the tribe, Noem would have recently visited the reserve without informing the tribal chiefs, which they considered as a further removal of tribal sovereignty. According to the letter, another diplomatic violation would expose Noem to the risk of a more serious tribal process: "If you do not comply with this directive, for example, if you repeat your recent visit without the permission of our tribal government we will have no choice but to ban you. "