12:02 PM |
"Urewera 18" to get fines? Time to drop the charges
Media release
Global Peace and Justice Auckland
2.30pm 2 May 2011
"On the eve of the appeal to the Supreme Court on the admissibility of
police evidence in the 'Urewera 18' case, Wikileaks have released a
cable which says the New Zealand Police told the US Embassy in
Wellington that they expected those accused would only get a fine rather
than jail time should they be convicted," said Global Peace and Justice
Auckland spokesperson Mike Treen.
"We can be sure that if the US Embassy received this information it was
from either then Police minister Annette King or Police Commissioner
Howard Broad. It is clear that the government and police have known for
years that the whole case of 'Operation 8' is a beat up, and yet, for
nearly four years the crown has thrown millions and millions of dollars
into this prosecution," said Mike Treen.
"It is absolutely ridiculous that the police are telling the US embassy
that convictions will result in fines while clogging up the Auckland
High Court for three months and wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.
"The cops have misled the courts that this is a serious trial and that
the laying of additional organised criminal gang charges against Tame
Iti and 5 of the 18 co-accused make the case too confusing for a jury
trial. At most this is a simple firearms trial that the police have
hyped up in order to justify their brutal and terrifying raid on Ruatoki
on October 15th 2007. New Zealanders should be asking why the cops are
wasting millions of dollars prosecuting political activists and used the
Terrorism Suppression Act to secure up to only $5000 fines.
"It is time for the cops to drop the charges and bring the ridiculous
and shambolic 'Operation 8' to an end," concluded Mr. Treen.
ENDS
Mike Treen is available for comment on 029-525-4744
Charl Hirschfeld, lawyer for one of the defendants is also available for
comment on 021-228-9757
Wikileak cable: http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2007/11/07WELLINGTON830.html
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pacific islands media association
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aotearoa, new zealand
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pacific islands media association
pima.nius@gmail.com
aotearoa, new zealand
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The pima.nius googlegroup is a facility for discussion and distributing information. Content sent by this googlegroup are forwarded from various networks and media publications.
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