The new anti-terrorism laws recently announced by the Attorney-General Robert McClelland raise alarm bells. At face value a number ofproposed amendments look as though they roll back some of the excess of thecurrent laws – limits to the sedition offences, a right of appeal against the use of secret evidence, and minor clarifications of the meaning and scope of some terms and offences.
Sydney, 14 August 2009 - A Muslim Civil Rights Group today cautioned against the proposed anti-terrorism law amendments announced by the Attorney-General Robert McClelland.
"While we welcome the proposal to limit the period of detention without charge, we are concerned about other proposals that seek to broaden the current regime of anti-terrorism laws in a way which exacerbates its flaws," said Dr Zachariah Matthews from the Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network (AMCRAN).
Victoria Sentas (Board Member of AMCRAN) was interviewed on May 11, 2009, by Rania on Voice Of Islam Radio in a mix of Arabic and English (also present were Abla Kadous from the Islamic Women's Welfare Association and Salim Sukkari assisting with translation).
Topics discussed in the interview include what AMCRAN does, the ASIO, the Police and You publication, and specifc details covered in the booklet. While the main discussion is in English, it was also interpreted into Arabic live.
You can download it here, or you can play (stream) it below.
On July 17, 50 people heard Dr Mohamed
Haneef’s lawyer, Peter Russo, launch a guide to Australia’s
“anti-terror” legislation in Bankstown Town Hall.
Anti-Terrorism Laws: ASIO, the Police and You, is produced by
the Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network (AMCRAN) and the
University of Technology, Sydney’s Community Law Centre. It is now in
its third edition.
MEDIA
RELEASE: Dr Haneef's Lawyer Launches Terrorism Laws Guide in
community languages
SYDNEY,
17 July 2008 – Dr Haneef’s lawyer Peter Russo is today
launching a Terrorism Laws guide in English and three community languages:
Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia and Urdu.
The
series of publications is now in its third edition, titled Anti-Terrorism
Laws: ASIO, the Police and You, produced by the Australian Muslim Civil
Rights Advocacy Network (AMCRAN). The series is a practical guide to
people's rights and responsibilities under Australia’s counter-terrorism laws.
When the Chaser team arranged for an American tourist to take snaps of
the Sydney Harbour Bridge, no security guard came to question what he
was doing even after fifteen minutes. When Chas Licciardello himself
dressed up in a bad Arab costume, stuck on a big bushy beard, and
walked onto the bridge with a camera, he was stopped within three
minutes. He hadn't even got to the same spot where the American tourist
had loitered. When the same experiment was repeated at Lucas Heights,
the American tourist took plenty of pictures and was pointed out where
to get security clearance to visit the facility. When the Arab Chas
approached the facility, a security vehicle screeched right up to him
within three minutes, and he was told that no photographs were to be
taken in the vicinity at all.
IT took more than an hour during what's called an informal chat before ASIO agents realised they had the wrong person.
The innocent Sydney man plucked
from his daily routine and plunged into the shadowy world of
counter-terrorism was so traumatised by his treatment at the hands of
Australia's spies, he complained to the Australian Muslims Civil Rights
Advocacy Network.
ELIZABETH JACKSON: A civil rights advocate says
the relationship
between Australian Muslims and police has been "poisoned" to the point
where Muslims will be reluctant to offer any help in future terrorism
investigations out of fear for their own safety.
