Monday, June 28, 2004
Australian troops in Iraq have been attacked in two seperate incidents.
A base where Australian troops were training Iraqis came under mortar attack over the weekend.
An Australian plane was also fired on, killing one of its American passengers.
A Defence spokesman said that "this is a dangerous place and these are dangerous operations and there is always a probability or a possibility of this type of incident", and that "this could have been a heavy machine gun on the back of a truck or something of that nature that can be moved in or out of an area very quickly...so it is quite difficult to secure the large areas involved in the flight paths into an airport".
Mr Howard said that while "we hope and pray they won't get worse", Australian troops will stay in the country despite the attacks.
(Source: The Age)
A base where Australian troops were training Iraqis came under mortar attack over the weekend.
An Australian plane was also fired on, killing one of its American passengers.
A Defence spokesman said that "this is a dangerous place and these are dangerous operations and there is always a probability or a possibility of this type of incident", and that "this could have been a heavy machine gun on the back of a truck or something of that nature that can be moved in or out of an area very quickly...so it is quite difficult to secure the large areas involved in the flight paths into an airport".
Mr Howard said that while "we hope and pray they won't get worse", Australian troops will stay in the country despite the attacks.
(Source: The Age)
Australian newspapers have admitted they were wrong to use the term 'illegal immigrants' to describe asylum seekers.
The Press Council has upheld a complaint laid against the Sydney Morning Herald for using the term, as well as 'illegal entrants'. The terms are sometimes used by members of the government, but refugee advocates point out that seeking asylum is not actually illegal.
The Press Council will issue a set of guidelines for Australian newspapers.
(Source: Melbourne Indymedia)
The Press Council has upheld a complaint laid against the Sydney Morning Herald for using the term, as well as 'illegal entrants'. The terms are sometimes used by members of the government, but refugee advocates point out that seeking asylum is not actually illegal.
The Press Council will issue a set of guidelines for Australian newspapers.
(Source: Melbourne Indymedia)
Quote of the Moment:
"When I first saw the photo, taken at the Abu Ghraib prison, of a hooded and robed figure strung with electrical wiring, I thought of the Sacramento, California, city jail.
When I heard that dogs had been used to intimidate and bite at least one detainee at Abu Ghraib, I thought of the training video shown at the Brazoria County Detention Center in Texas.
When I learned that the male inmates at Abu Ghraib were forced to wear women's underwear, I thought of the Maricopa County jails in Phoenix, Arizona.
And when I saw the photos of the naked bodies restrained in grotesque and clearly uncomfortable positions, I thought of the Utah prison system.
Donald Rumsfeld said of the abuse when he visited Abu Ghraib on May 13, 'It doesn't represent American values.'
But the images from Iraq looked all too American to me".
(Anne-Marie Cusac points out that the treatment of Iraqi prisoners has parallels in the United States prison system. Two of the guards at Abu Gharib prison previously worked as prison guards in the US. One guard, Charles Graner, previously worked at Greene County prison, where guards "beat inmates, sodomized inmates with nightsticks, and conducted 'nude searches in which every body orifice is examined in full view of other guards and prisoners'.
Source: The Progressive magazine [US], July 04 issue)
"When I first saw the photo, taken at the Abu Ghraib prison, of a hooded and robed figure strung with electrical wiring, I thought of the Sacramento, California, city jail.
When I heard that dogs had been used to intimidate and bite at least one detainee at Abu Ghraib, I thought of the training video shown at the Brazoria County Detention Center in Texas.
When I learned that the male inmates at Abu Ghraib were forced to wear women's underwear, I thought of the Maricopa County jails in Phoenix, Arizona.
And when I saw the photos of the naked bodies restrained in grotesque and clearly uncomfortable positions, I thought of the Utah prison system.
Donald Rumsfeld said of the abuse when he visited Abu Ghraib on May 13, 'It doesn't represent American values.'
But the images from Iraq looked all too American to me".
(Anne-Marie Cusac points out that the treatment of Iraqi prisoners has parallels in the United States prison system. Two of the guards at Abu Gharib prison previously worked as prison guards in the US. One guard, Charles Graner, previously worked at Greene County prison, where guards "beat inmates, sodomized inmates with nightsticks, and conducted 'nude searches in which every body orifice is examined in full view of other guards and prisoners'.
Source: The Progressive magazine [US], July 04 issue)
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Detainees held in Afghanistan by US troops have been routinely tortured and humiliated as part of the interrogation process in the same way as those in Iraq, suggesting that this treatment was US government policy rather than isolated incidents.
An investigation by the Guardian newspaper has found that five detainees have died in custody, three of them in suspicious circumstances. Former detainees have told stories of beatings, strippings, hoodings and sleep deprivation.
Syed Nabi Siddiqi, a former police officer, said he had been beaten and stripped. "They took off my uniform. I showed them my identity card from the government of President Karsai. Then they asked me which of those animals - they made the noise of goats, sheep, dogs, cows - have you had sexual activities with?"
A second detainee, Noor Aghah, said he had been forced to drink bottle after bottle of water during his interrogation.
Another prisoner, Wazir Muhammad, was held for nearly two years, firstly in Afghanistan and then in Guantanamo Bay. "At the end of my time in Guantanamo, I had to sign a paper saying I had been captured in battle which was not true," he said. "I was stopped when I was in my taxi with four passengers. But they told me I would have to spend the rest of my life in Guantanamo if I did not sign it, so I did."
More than two thousand people have been held in US detention centres in Afghanistan since the 'end' of the war.
(Source: The Guardian [UK])
An investigation by the Guardian newspaper has found that five detainees have died in custody, three of them in suspicious circumstances. Former detainees have told stories of beatings, strippings, hoodings and sleep deprivation.
Syed Nabi Siddiqi, a former police officer, said he had been beaten and stripped. "They took off my uniform. I showed them my identity card from the government of President Karsai. Then they asked me which of those animals - they made the noise of goats, sheep, dogs, cows - have you had sexual activities with?"
A second detainee, Noor Aghah, said he had been forced to drink bottle after bottle of water during his interrogation.
Another prisoner, Wazir Muhammad, was held for nearly two years, firstly in Afghanistan and then in Guantanamo Bay. "At the end of my time in Guantanamo, I had to sign a paper saying I had been captured in battle which was not true," he said. "I was stopped when I was in my taxi with four passengers. But they told me I would have to spend the rest of my life in Guantanamo if I did not sign it, so I did."
More than two thousand people have been held in US detention centres in Afghanistan since the 'end' of the war.
(Source: The Guardian [UK])
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
A Melbourne 18-year-old says a policeman bashed him at a party.
Julian Glennon told the Herald Sun yesterday that a senior constable struck him repeatedly with a torch at a 17th birthday party in East Preston.
Mr Glennon, an adhesives factory manufacturer from East Preston, suffered a broken right hand, a fractured left thumb, substantial facial injuries and a closed right eye.
He said he was king-hit with a torch from behind, knocked to the ground, and set upon by a male senior constable.
Witness Trish Prendergast said two police arrived about 11.30pm looking for three men over a hit-and-run accident -- and particularly for a man last seen in a white jacket.
"They just attacked me," Mr Glennon said. "It was mistaken identity, as I was wearing a white jumper and they thought I was their man. My face was pushed into the ground and I have big bumps on my head and back."
Mr Glennon said he was bundled into a divisional van and "driven around for an hour before the car stopped and suddenly went to the Austin Hospital."
Trish's mother, Sue Prendergast, called four police stations before finally locating him at the Austin. She said one officer told her Mr Glennon had "fallen over as he was drunk and hurt himself".
Mr Glennon said the police didn't take a statement, didn't take him to a police station or give him any explanation.
Police denied the accusations.
(Source: Herald Sun)
Julian Glennon told the Herald Sun yesterday that a senior constable struck him repeatedly with a torch at a 17th birthday party in East Preston.
Mr Glennon, an adhesives factory manufacturer from East Preston, suffered a broken right hand, a fractured left thumb, substantial facial injuries and a closed right eye.
He said he was king-hit with a torch from behind, knocked to the ground, and set upon by a male senior constable.
Witness Trish Prendergast said two police arrived about 11.30pm looking for three men over a hit-and-run accident -- and particularly for a man last seen in a white jacket.
"They just attacked me," Mr Glennon said. "It was mistaken identity, as I was wearing a white jumper and they thought I was their man. My face was pushed into the ground and I have big bumps on my head and back."
Mr Glennon said he was bundled into a divisional van and "driven around for an hour before the car stopped and suddenly went to the Austin Hospital."
Trish's mother, Sue Prendergast, called four police stations before finally locating him at the Austin. She said one officer told her Mr Glennon had "fallen over as he was drunk and hurt himself".
Mr Glennon said the police didn't take a statement, didn't take him to a police station or give him any explanation.
Police denied the accusations.
(Source: Herald Sun)
Defence Minister Robert Hill has responded to criticism that he misled the public over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, by saying that providing more details would have harmed the relationship between the Australian and US governments.
Senator Hill said that he expressed "in general terms" the concerns of Australian liaison officer Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Muggleton about US practices.
"I declined to take it further than that because I did not think it was in the best interests of our relationship with the United States," Senator Hill said.
(Source: The Age)
Senator Hill said that he expressed "in general terms" the concerns of Australian liaison officer Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Muggleton about US practices.
"I declined to take it further than that because I did not think it was in the best interests of our relationship with the United States," Senator Hill said.
(Source: The Age)
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Quotes of the Moment:
"We need to have a less-cramped view of what torture is and is not."
(An unnamed United States military official, reported in The Wall Street Journal [US])
"On Jan. 13, Spec. John Harold Ketzer, a military intelligence interrogator, saw a dog team corner two male prisoners against a wall, one prisoner hiding behind the other and screaming, he later told investigators. 'When I asked what was going on in the cell, the handler stated that he was just scaring them, and that he and another of the handlers was having a contest to see how many detainees they could get to urinate on themselves...'".
(The Washington Post [US])
"We need to have a less-cramped view of what torture is and is not."
(An unnamed United States military official, reported in The Wall Street Journal [US])
"On Jan. 13, Spec. John Harold Ketzer, a military intelligence interrogator, saw a dog team corner two male prisoners against a wall, one prisoner hiding behind the other and screaming, he later told investigators. 'When I asked what was going on in the cell, the handler stated that he was just scaring them, and that he and another of the handlers was having a contest to see how many detainees they could get to urinate on themselves...'".
(The Washington Post [US])
Domestic violence is the single greatest risk factor associated with death, disease and disability for younger Victorian women, a new study has revealed.
The study links domestic violence to suicide, depression, anxiety, alcohol, tobacco and drug use, sexually transmitted disease, cervical cancer, physical injuries and eating disorders.
The study found that in 2000-01, intimate partner violence contributed to 9 per cent of ill-health, disability and premature death among Victorian women aged 15 to 44.
In the same age group, 10 per cent of deaths were blamed on domestic violence - either through suicide or violent death.
The figures show that domestic violence is responsible for more ill-health and premature death in this age group than any other single risk factor, including high blood pressure, obesity or smoking.
In the year covered by the study, police attended 21,618 reported domestic violence incidents in Victoria. Children were present at 19,933 of the reported incidents.
(Source: The Age)
The study links domestic violence to suicide, depression, anxiety, alcohol, tobacco and drug use, sexually transmitted disease, cervical cancer, physical injuries and eating disorders.
The study found that in 2000-01, intimate partner violence contributed to 9 per cent of ill-health, disability and premature death among Victorian women aged 15 to 44.
In the same age group, 10 per cent of deaths were blamed on domestic violence - either through suicide or violent death.
The figures show that domestic violence is responsible for more ill-health and premature death in this age group than any other single risk factor, including high blood pressure, obesity or smoking.
In the year covered by the study, police attended 21,618 reported domestic violence incidents in Victoria. Children were present at 19,933 of the reported incidents.
(Source: The Age)
The Australian military was told about human rights abuses in Iraqi prisons in June last year, new evidence shows.
Australian Colonel Mike Kelly, serving with the Coalition Provisional Authority, referred to a memo from then UN special representative Sergio De Mello about human rights concerns in a report to Canberra.
Australian military officials sent back 25 situation reports on Amnesty and Red Cross concerns about prisoner treatment over 12 months to May 2004.
Australian military personnel, including lawyers, also visited coalition detention facilities more than 30 times over the 12 months.
Defence Minister Robert Hill says that rather than deliberately lying to Parliament about how much the Australian government knew, he was given bad advice by his Department. Defence officials took almost three weeks to 'realise' that they had copies of Red Cross briefing papers.
However, Senator Hill says there is no need for a review of the Defence Department.
(Source: The Age, The Australian)
Australian Colonel Mike Kelly, serving with the Coalition Provisional Authority, referred to a memo from then UN special representative Sergio De Mello about human rights concerns in a report to Canberra.
Australian military officials sent back 25 situation reports on Amnesty and Red Cross concerns about prisoner treatment over 12 months to May 2004.
Australian military personnel, including lawyers, also visited coalition detention facilities more than 30 times over the 12 months.
Defence Minister Robert Hill says that rather than deliberately lying to Parliament about how much the Australian government knew, he was given bad advice by his Department. Defence officials took almost three weeks to 'realise' that they had copies of Red Cross briefing papers.
However, Senator Hill says there is no need for a review of the Defence Department.
(Source: The Age, The Australian)
Monday, June 14, 2004
Six young people in state care in Victoria have committed suicide and another 14 have died from drug abuse since 1996 in a welfare system riddled with abuse.
Carers are alleged to have sexually exploited vulnerable teenagers, bashed others and condoned petrol sniffing.
One carer in his 40s allegedly had an affair with a troubled 16-year-old girl, who then committed suicide.
Investigations have found that many professionals who are supposed to report suspected child abuse do not bother because they have no faith in the child protection system.
One welfare office took more than a week to respond to an alert that a 16-year-old girl was being beaten by her family with a stick, according to a secondary college assistant principal.
Children were often left in homes where officers knew parents beat them.
Childcare advocates claim cover-ups are rife in the Department of Human Services.
Rebecca Collins-Halliday jumped in front of a train in October, 2000, three months after being released from child protection despite warnings she was at risk.
The mothers of three girls who died in state care camped outside the Human Services Department in Box Hill last week calling for an overhaul of the system.
The Victorian Child Death Review Committee's 2004 annual report says 14 children in state care died from drug abuse between 1996 and 2003.
Six committed suicide in that period.
"There is a crisis," said Ballarat University's Dr Caroline Taylor, co-author of another report on child protection. "You cannot call the system as it is child protection".
"You've got people working at the coalface saying the body they are supposed to report child abuse to is not taking up cases or responding so badly these people are discouraged from calling them."
Bev Fisher, who has campaigned for years for a system overhaul, said no one seemed interested in fixing it.
"A lot of time is instead spent covering up their mistakes," she said.
Jillian Parker, Julie Kerr and Shauna Adams, still waiting for answers over their daughters' deaths, held a rally outside Box Hill DHS this week.
Janelle Parker, 15, died from an overdose hours after paramedics were turned away from her care home even though she admitted to taking 40 pills and heroin.
Alannah Kerr died of an overdose three days after her 15th birthday in late September, while away from her care home.
In the same month, her friend Vanessa Adams, hanged herself after being left alone in her care home despite having had two overdoses and slashing her wrists twice in previous months.
(Source: Herald Sun)
Carers are alleged to have sexually exploited vulnerable teenagers, bashed others and condoned petrol sniffing.
One carer in his 40s allegedly had an affair with a troubled 16-year-old girl, who then committed suicide.
Investigations have found that many professionals who are supposed to report suspected child abuse do not bother because they have no faith in the child protection system.
One welfare office took more than a week to respond to an alert that a 16-year-old girl was being beaten by her family with a stick, according to a secondary college assistant principal.
Children were often left in homes where officers knew parents beat them.
Childcare advocates claim cover-ups are rife in the Department of Human Services.
Rebecca Collins-Halliday jumped in front of a train in October, 2000, three months after being released from child protection despite warnings she was at risk.
The mothers of three girls who died in state care camped outside the Human Services Department in Box Hill last week calling for an overhaul of the system.
The Victorian Child Death Review Committee's 2004 annual report says 14 children in state care died from drug abuse between 1996 and 2003.
Six committed suicide in that period.
"There is a crisis," said Ballarat University's Dr Caroline Taylor, co-author of another report on child protection. "You cannot call the system as it is child protection".
"You've got people working at the coalface saying the body they are supposed to report child abuse to is not taking up cases or responding so badly these people are discouraged from calling them."
Bev Fisher, who has campaigned for years for a system overhaul, said no one seemed interested in fixing it.
"A lot of time is instead spent covering up their mistakes," she said.
Jillian Parker, Julie Kerr and Shauna Adams, still waiting for answers over their daughters' deaths, held a rally outside Box Hill DHS this week.
Janelle Parker, 15, died from an overdose hours after paramedics were turned away from her care home even though she admitted to taking 40 pills and heroin.
Alannah Kerr died of an overdose three days after her 15th birthday in late September, while away from her care home.
In the same month, her friend Vanessa Adams, hanged herself after being left alone in her care home despite having had two overdoses and slashing her wrists twice in previous months.
(Source: Herald Sun)
The Labor Party has announced that it would allow the United States military to set up a joint training facility in Australia.
Opposition defence spokesman Chris Evans said that an ALP government would allow a joint facility despite their differences with the Bush Administration over Iraq.
(Source: Herald Sun)
Opposition defence spokesman Chris Evans said that an ALP government would allow a joint facility despite their differences with the Bush Administration over Iraq.
(Source: Herald Sun)
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Having joined the Labor Party, Peter Garrett has changed political beliefs he held for up to twenty years.
The former environmentalist and lead singer of left wing band Midnight Oil says that he now supports mandatory detention of refugees, does not believe Australia should break its military alliance with the United States, and no longer supports shutting down Pine Gap or other United States military bases.
Mr Garrett joined the Labor Party after arranging to run as the Labor candidate in the safe seat of Kingsford Smith.
(Source: Herald Sun)
The former environmentalist and lead singer of left wing band Midnight Oil says that he now supports mandatory detention of refugees, does not believe Australia should break its military alliance with the United States, and no longer supports shutting down Pine Gap or other United States military bases.
Mr Garrett joined the Labor Party after arranging to run as the Labor candidate in the safe seat of Kingsford Smith.
(Source: Herald Sun)
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Melbourne City Council has been accused of supressing a report on prostitution by homeless people, some underage, in the CBD.
The Sex in the City report found that homeless people as young as 16 were trading sex for shelter or money. The council, who commissioned the report, has stopped the final paper being released.
James Rowe from RMIT's Centre for Applied Social Research accused the council of looking towards local elections in November.
Rowe says that "in the city you don't even have the informal protection networks where the girls and boys look out for each other...if you are in the city you are alone. People disappear and are raped".
Rowe said that the council was "thinking of the short-term political gain" in stopping the report being released.
(Source: Melbourne Times)
The Sex in the City report found that homeless people as young as 16 were trading sex for shelter or money. The council, who commissioned the report, has stopped the final paper being released.
James Rowe from RMIT's Centre for Applied Social Research accused the council of looking towards local elections in November.
Rowe says that "in the city you don't even have the informal protection networks where the girls and boys look out for each other...if you are in the city you are alone. People disappear and are raped".
Rowe said that the council was "thinking of the short-term political gain" in stopping the report being released.
(Source: Melbourne Times)
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
An Australian military lawyer helped write a letter advising the American military to ignore the Geneva Convention.
In December, Major George O'Kane drafted a letter which said that "where absolute military security so requires, security internees will not obtain full Geneva Convention protection".
The letter was in response to Red Cross concerns about the mistreatment of prisoners.
According to Red Cross reports, these prisoners were found naked and in total darkness.
(Source: The Australian)
In December, Major George O'Kane drafted a letter which said that "where absolute military security so requires, security internees will not obtain full Geneva Convention protection".
The letter was in response to Red Cross concerns about the mistreatment of prisoners.
According to Red Cross reports, these prisoners were found naked and in total darkness.
(Source: The Australian)
Sexual harassment claims in the Australian Defence Force have doubled, according to an internal report.
The report shows that sexual harassment claims doubled last year to 122.
The report said that "there is still a significant number of sexual offence complaints where management inaction or uncertainty has significantly drawn out the length of the case".
It also said that many victims withdrew complaints of sexual assault due to the stress of the legal process, and "their unwillingness to be subjected to further trauma".
Of the 62 complaints of sexual assault in the three services, only seven ended up with formal action being taken.
(Source: The Australian)
The report shows that sexual harassment claims doubled last year to 122.
The report said that "there is still a significant number of sexual offence complaints where management inaction or uncertainty has significantly drawn out the length of the case".
It also said that many victims withdrew complaints of sexual assault due to the stress of the legal process, and "their unwillingness to be subjected to further trauma".
Of the 62 complaints of sexual assault in the three services, only seven ended up with formal action being taken.
(Source: The Australian)
Friday, June 04, 2004
The Federal government has wasted millions of dollars on a 'watered-down' version of its campaign on violence against women, according to crisis organisations.
Last year the government dropped the $2.7 million No Respect/No Relationship campaign, ten days before its launch. Women's groups say the new version of the campaign has scrapped the education and prevention programs for boys.
Mandy McKenzie from the Domestic Violence Incest Resource Centre said the government had narrowed the focus of the campaign, dropping the references to emotional and verbal abuse.
"This ignores two years of government-funded research which found that young people were particularly concerned about the issue of emotional abuse and control in relationships".
Marg Darcy from the Centre for Sexual Assault said the campaign's new 24 hour telephone service duplicates existing services.
"It is forcing people to tell their story twice" she said. "It is an absolutely clumsy system".
The campaign, criticised as "a reminder of basic messages that the community already understands", will be launched on June 6.
(Source: Melbourne Times)
Last year the government dropped the $2.7 million No Respect/No Relationship campaign, ten days before its launch. Women's groups say the new version of the campaign has scrapped the education and prevention programs for boys.
Mandy McKenzie from the Domestic Violence Incest Resource Centre said the government had narrowed the focus of the campaign, dropping the references to emotional and verbal abuse.
"This ignores two years of government-funded research which found that young people were particularly concerned about the issue of emotional abuse and control in relationships".
Marg Darcy from the Centre for Sexual Assault said the campaign's new 24 hour telephone service duplicates existing services.
"It is forcing people to tell their story twice" she said. "It is an absolutely clumsy system".
The campaign, criticised as "a reminder of basic messages that the community already understands", will be launched on June 6.
(Source: Melbourne Times)
The government's treatment of non-government organisations is based on a "hostile, negative and often emotional campaign" to intimidate them, according to a new report.
The report, 'Silencing Dissent', by the Australia Institute, also said that it is widely understood that the government is likely to cut off the funding of groups which criticise them.
The report looked at 'NGOs', or Non-Government Organisations, a broad category which includes for example environmental groups, charities, and organisations based in particular ethnic communities.
Only 8 percent of NGOs surveyed believed that "individuals and organisations that dissent from government policy are valued by the government as part of a robust democracy". 90 percent agreed that "dissenting organisations and individuals risk having their government funding cut".
(Source: The Australia Institute - report is in pdf format and will take a while to load.)
The report, 'Silencing Dissent', by the Australia Institute, also said that it is widely understood that the government is likely to cut off the funding of groups which criticise them.
The report looked at 'NGOs', or Non-Government Organisations, a broad category which includes for example environmental groups, charities, and organisations based in particular ethnic communities.
Only 8 percent of NGOs surveyed believed that "individuals and organisations that dissent from government policy are valued by the government as part of a robust democracy". 90 percent agreed that "dissenting organisations and individuals risk having their government funding cut".
(Source: The Australia Institute - report is in pdf format and will take a while to load.)
