Dangerous precedent

In GLW #646 you reported that I received a 14-day sentence for contempt of court to “intimidate” Network Against Prohibition (Northern Territory) members. I was actually given a $40 fine for contempt — the 14 days I served was for a trumped-up assault-police charge along with a $100 fine for resist-police relating to the smoke-in for which Stuart Highway is serving three months jail.

I was also fined $340 for trespass during an occupation of NT Chief Minister Clair Martin’s electoral office. Gary Meyerhoff was given a suspended sentence for this incident, however he was found guilty of “business invasion” — a charge with a maximum seven-year sentence and in the same legislation as “home invasion”. While this legislation was clearly aimed at armed robbery when it was introduced, it has so far only been used against NAP members in relation to two peaceful occupations (the previous business-invasion charges were either dropped or found not guilty).

Meyerhoff’s conviction sets a dangerous precedent for future use of this legislation against activists involved in peaceful civil-disobedience.

If you would like to support Stuart, please send him letters of solidarity at Stuart Highway, Darwin Correctional Centre, PO Box 1407, NT 0801.

Ema Corro
via email

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Wed, 02 November 2005
Source: Green Left Weekly
Author: Ema Corro (letter to the editor)
Website: http://www.greenleft.org.au
Email: glw@greenleft.org.au