NAP declares Peter Toyne is guilty of Human Rights abuses

Members of the Network Against Prohibition have vowed to continue their fight against the Police State in the Northern Territory of Australia. This comes after an editorial in the Sunday Territorian (12th May) by the Justice Minister of the NT, Mr Peter Toyne where he declared that he had a mandate to be “Tough on Drugs.”

Since the NT Labor Government was elected in August last year, they have stripped away services for dependent drug users and have adopted a zero tolerance approach to drug use within the Territory community.

Examples of this include:

The closure of the methadone reduction program, with dependent opiate users forced to use a new unproven drug Buprenorphine,

The closure of the Residential detox unit, meaning that there is no residential detox facility in the Top End of the Northern Territory,

Threatened GPs who are treating their patients the same as they would in any other State or Territory in Australia. The NT is the only place where GPs are not allowed to treat opiate dependent people with opiate based drugs, and

Launched a paramilitary taskforce to harass and intimidate drug users with personal amounts of drugs.

NAP Coordinator Gary Meyerhoff said “clearly these are human rights abuses. Somebody needs to step in here and force the NT Government to change their approach. It looks like we (NAP) will have to do it in the streets.”

“The level of support we have received from the local community clearly indicates that NAP has a mandate to continue, and to escalate, our campaign for Human Rights for all Territorians.”

NAP will be holding the second Community smoke-in in Raintree Park on Saturday, June the 8th at 12 noon. Featuring bands (Father, Mother, Child & Freedom), kid’s activities, tucker, smoko, politics and a 1.2 metre joint. These events will now be monthly and the joint will increase in size by 20cm each month.

The event, called “Smoke-Up for Human Rights” will focus on some of the many human rights abuses in the Territory that continue under the Labor government. For example the treatment of “Longgrassers.” There will be stalls from a range of human rights groups from the NT.

For further info, call Gary on 8942 0570 or mobile 0415 16 2525 or checkout http://napnt.tripod.com