I stalled writing about this subject for a few months. I was reluctant about it for a number of reasons – such as, not wanting to add to the media’s re-traumatization of the bereaved family. Plus, MSM news can sometimes have the effect of encouraging readers to “look over there,” circumventing adequate examination of domestic issues. However, public interest in discussing the occurrence of deaths in custody and in ventilating domestic shortfalls, strengthens the need to look at the issues involved, albeit from a slightly different perspective from the MSM.
An Australian citizen, born and raised in Melbourne, but who had dual citizenship, was remanded in custody while living overseas and authorities suppressed his identity. About six months later, but before he went to trial, he was found deceased in his isolation cell. Though he potentially faced a lengthy sentence, a representative of his legal team said that he had seemed rational the day before his death. He had also planned to submit a plea bargain to the court.
The accusations against him – even after death – are still suppressed – and have been terribly skewed by heavy, pervasive speculation. Alleged intelligence experts, who freely admit no knowledge of the matter whatsoever, are still being interviewed as if they do, by a mainstream pop-media hungry for a big story. We have seen in Australia in the last decade, that a lot of intelligence and surveillance by ‘experts’ relies on loose interpretations and speculation that don’t hold up before a court of law – but the news is not a court, and comment on a dead man, or sentenced prisoners, cannot be defamatory under current Australian law.
The accusations against him – even after death – are still suppressed – and have been terribly skewed by heavy, pervasive speculation. Alleged intelligence experts, who freely admit no knowledge of the matter whatsoever, are still being interviewed as if they do, by a mainstream pop-media hungry for a big story. We have seen in Australia in the last decade, that a lot of intelligence and surveillance by ‘experts’ relies on loose interpretations and speculation that don’t hold up before a court of law – but the news is not a court, and comment on a dead man, or sentenced prisoners, cannot be defamatory under current Australian law.
The man was not repatriated back to Australia until he was dead. An inquest returned a finding of self-harm - the coroner found he had killed himself whilst held in that country’s highest security cell, which had 24/7 CCTV monitoring, with 3 cameras.
The court heard that at the time of his death:
Australia’s former and present foreign ministers categorically deny all knowledge of the conditions of the man’s detention, leading up to him being found dead in his prison cell.
The court heard that at the time of his death:
- guards were not watching the monitors, and,
- not in the monitoring room, and additionally,
- the deceased was found in a place within the cell that was out of the range of the CCTV cameras, and
- he was seen 57 times over 6 months by a staff counsellor, who said the prisoner was depressed
Australia’s former and present foreign ministers categorically deny all knowledge of the conditions of the man’s detention, leading up to him being found dead in his prison cell.
The reader could be forgiven in speculating that this death might have happened at Guantanamo Bay, or perhaps he was held in a third-world banana republic, or interrogated at a UN-condemned secret prison, or maybe he was a drug trafficker apprehended in a country with terminal drugs laws, but, you’d be wrong.
Read the rest in the pages, on the right...this page includes findings and FOI docs from the Australian Embassy (via Antony Loewenstein).
###19 September 2013 - This is bad news for the bereaved Zygier family - media organizations have called out an open-market contract on 'exclusives' with them and their friends. Lets hope all the freelancers out there will stop well short of the grubby tactics that the MSM staffers have been resorting to regarding the custodial death of this remandee. Just remember the AJA Code - do not feel compelled to intrude and respect those who are grieving.
###19 September 2013 - This is bad news for the bereaved Zygier family - media organizations have called out an open-market contract on 'exclusives' with them and their friends. Lets hope all the freelancers out there will stop well short of the grubby tactics that the MSM staffers have been resorting to regarding the custodial death of this remandee. Just remember the AJA Code - do not feel compelled to intrude and respect those who are grieving.