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Saturday, July 28, 2007

Finally - Dr Haneef Released

The most glaring of the injustices of the detention and trial by Politicians of the Gold Coast Doctor who gave his SIM card to his second cousin in the UK and was deemed to be supporter of terrorism is over.

The blame game started after 3pm. Yes, announced Director of Public Prosecutions, Bugg, the charge would be dropped. Yes, there had been dreadful mistakes. No, said Keyston Kop Police Commissioner Keelty, there would be no apology to Dr. Haneef. I still want to deport him said Immigration Minister Kevin (I am Tough on Terrorists) Andrews.

Their press conference was an unedifying spectacle. A man's reputation trashed, his freedom stripped, his family honour ruined, because he was deemed guilty by association. It has been a disaster from start to finish.

And at the end, in another place yesterday, Attorney General Philip (Wet Fish) Haddock made the most absurd statement in this black comedy of errors.

"I think that what we have seen is that the system worked as was intended,"

Now that is Scary. Australians Be Afraid Be Very Afraid. Your Civil Liberties are at Risk.

Now he is in home detention, but cannot leave while the Government decides whether to restore his visa or to deport him.

You can just imagine that the Australian Tourism Commercial, "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" will go down well in India right now.

2 comments:

James Higham said...

I missed this one completely. Wasn't he the terrorist or something? Or was he just a mobile phone user?

Colin Campbell said...

His second cousin was in the Glasgow Airport Car and his SIM card was left with another second cousin in Liverpool or somewhere, when he left to come to Australia. He was suspected of being part of the plot, but it was a Keystone Cops type of thing, with the Government trying to make political hay. Now lots of people have egg on their faces.