Dozens gather outside DC jail in support of imprisoned US Capitol rioters

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the jail in Washington, DC to show support for detainees being held at the facility in connection with events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The demonstrators at the so-called "Justice for J6" candlelight vigil gave brief speeches sympathetic towards the January 6 breach of the US Capitol and sang songs and hymns for the detainees.

One of the speakers was the mother of slain demonstrator Ashley Babbitt, who was killed by law enforcement during the Capitol breach.

Alexander, a DC resident, told Sputnik he attended the event to protest inhumane treatment of prisoners worldwide and the taking of political prisoners in the United States.

All that demonstrators can hope for is to create awareness about the violation of people's rights, Alexander said.

"The situation needs to change," Alexander said. "We need the people that are held here to be charged and to have their days in court and be allowed the legal system to operate functionally."

Right now, he added, there are totalitarians from the top of the US government to local officials who are making the inmates stay "as inhumane and tortured as possible."

39 of the inmates have been jailed for charges in connection with the Capitol riot, a DC Department of Corrections spokesperson said earlier this week.

More than 700 individuals have been arrested for crimes related to the January 6 US Capitol breach, including over 220 facing charges of impeding law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.