Writes Adele Horin in the SMH:
"You might have forgotten Scott Parkin but his friends in Australia have maintained the rage. It has been 10 months since the Federal Government stripped the American peace activist of his tourist visa on the grounds that he was a risk to Australia's security, thrust him into solitary confinement for five days, and shipped him back to the US. There he was presented with a bill for $11,700 for his detention, air fares and accommodation.
On Thursday proceedings began in the Federal Court in Melbourne to have Parkin's adverse security assessment overturned. As a first step, Parkin's barrister, Julian Burnside, sought a discovery order to determine precisely what Parkin is alleged to have said or done that warranted him being thrown out of the country. He wants to see the Government documents. The Government has never explained to Parkin or the public how he crossed the line between political activism and becoming a security risk. Parkin was never charged with a crime but damned through a secret process that makes international travel difficult. His family wants him to clear his name. He is, after all, a fifth-generation Texan, from George Bush's home state, though with rather different politics.
The same court action is seeking to determine what lies behind the adverse security assessment given two Iraqi refugees, Muhammad Faisal and Mohammad Sagar, who face their fifth year on Nauru. Ignorant of the claims made against them, they cannot defend themselves and remain in limbo with no country willing to take them."
The issues thrown up in Horin's op-ed piece should be of concern to all Australians. The argument that if you have nothing to fear it is ok then simply holds no water. Read the full article here - and reflect on how you and yours could well be effected or caught up, intentionally or even unwittingly, in a "secret" process said to be in the name of "justice".
"You might have forgotten Scott Parkin but his friends in Australia have maintained the rage. It has been 10 months since the Federal Government stripped the American peace activist of his tourist visa on the grounds that he was a risk to Australia's security, thrust him into solitary confinement for five days, and shipped him back to the US. There he was presented with a bill for $11,700 for his detention, air fares and accommodation.
On Thursday proceedings began in the Federal Court in Melbourne to have Parkin's adverse security assessment overturned. As a first step, Parkin's barrister, Julian Burnside, sought a discovery order to determine precisely what Parkin is alleged to have said or done that warranted him being thrown out of the country. He wants to see the Government documents. The Government has never explained to Parkin or the public how he crossed the line between political activism and becoming a security risk. Parkin was never charged with a crime but damned through a secret process that makes international travel difficult. His family wants him to clear his name. He is, after all, a fifth-generation Texan, from George Bush's home state, though with rather different politics.
The same court action is seeking to determine what lies behind the adverse security assessment given two Iraqi refugees, Muhammad Faisal and Mohammad Sagar, who face their fifth year on Nauru. Ignorant of the claims made against them, they cannot defend themselves and remain in limbo with no country willing to take them."
The issues thrown up in Horin's op-ed piece should be of concern to all Australians. The argument that if you have nothing to fear it is ok then simply holds no water. Read the full article here - and reflect on how you and yours could well be effected or caught up, intentionally or even unwittingly, in a "secret" process said to be in the name of "justice".
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