VOICE OF REASON

Media silence abets Ruddock's atrocities

One of Australia's leading barristers, Julian Burnside QC, has mounted a blistering attack on Australia's media, accusing it of refusing to report the government's escalating atrocities.
He can't even get publicity for his argument that Ruddock -- recently appointed Australia's first law officer without a murmour of protest from the mainstream media -- could be charged under Australian law with crimes against humanity. Apparently, according to one editor, that's not 'interesting'.

The Australian Criminal Code now recognises various acts as constituting crimes against humanity. Burnside QC has argued that Australia's system of mandatory, indefinite detention appears to satisfy each of the elements of the crime -- as outlined in the Rome statute by which the International Criminal Court was created -- and that careful analysis of the criminal code therefore suggests that Mr Ruddock and Mr Howard are guilty of crimes against humanity by virtue of their imprisonment of asylum seekers.

Tragically, it is unlikely that charges will be laid. The only person who can bring charges is the Attorney General: now that Mr Ruddock occupies that responsible office, there is not much cause to hope that he will investigate his own past misdeeds.

At the speech -- with Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone sitting metres away -- Burnside said “If moral arguments have no purchase, it remains the fact that our government is engaged in a continuing crime against humanity when assessed against its own legislative standards. I accuse Mr Howard and Mr Ruddock of that crime.
“I accuse Senator Vanstone of that crime. I expect that they will ignore this accusation, since the only person who can bring charges is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth.”
And, as predicted, Vanstone rose to her feet and spoke for a few minutes without once trying to rebut or defeat Burnside's claim.


Julian Burnside QC suggests citizens write to federal parliamentarians asking very simple, but hard, questions about the key aspects of refugee policy.