NT Government attacks freedom of speech

On October 19 veteran human rights and social justice campaigner Stuart Highway was sentenced to 8 months jail for his involvement in a Community smoke-in held at Darwin in October 2002.

The Smoke-in had been organised by the drug law-reform group the Network Against Prohibition (NAP), of which Mr Highway is a founding member. NAP formed to oppose the Martin Government’s ‘drug house’ legislation.

The ‘drug house’ legislation, labelled as draconian by many, gave police the power to affix a 1.2 metre-high fluorescent green sign to your front fence or door, declaring your home to be a ‘drug premises’.

No criminal conviction is required and no charges have to be laid for your home to be labelled a 'drug premises'.

Billed as a family event, the smoke-in turned sour after it was interrupted by members of the NT Police.

Highway and three other NAP members, Michael Barry, Nicolette Burrows and Gary Meyerhoff were indicted on charges of unlawful damage to police vehicles.

Unrepresented, Highway went through the ordeal of a trial by jury and was found guilty and was sentenced to eight months jail, suspended after serving three months.

During his sentencing submissions, Highway told Justice Trevor Riley: “We’ve always maintained the NT Government is the guilty party with their ‘drug house’ laws, not the members of the Network Against Prohibition.”

Mr Highway was supported in court by a group of NAP supporters including Margot Laughton, grandmother and first victim of Clare Martin’s draconian ‘drug house’ legislation.

Barry and Burrows were each sentenced to 5 months wholly suspended. Meyerhoff currently has pneumonia and avoided trial on that basis. He will face a trial by jury at a later date. In the previous week, he received a five-month suspended sentence for occupying the electorate office of NT Chief Minister Clare Martin on August 1, 2002, the day the ‘drug house’ laws came into force.

NAP activist Fiona Clarke vowed that the NAP campaign against the 'drug house' laws and other human rights abuses in the NT would continue.

“This is all part of the ongoing targeting of NAP members because of their political beliefs, and the ongoing criminalisation of dissent in Australia,” said Ms Clarke.

NAP members have been subject to more than 130 criminal charges since the group’s formation in March 2002.

The organisation continues to hold regular Smoke-ins in Darwin's Raintree Park, the next such event being held on November 12.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Mon, 24 Oct 2005
Source: The Delirra (Charles Darwin University Student Union Newspaper)
Website: http://su.cdu.edu.au/delirra
Email: delirra@su.cdu.edu.au