Stuart Highway likely to ‘go off the air’

Legendary Darwin human rights activist Stuart Highway is preparing to go “off the air” 62 days into his imprisonment at Berrimah jail.

Stuart has been telephoning friends in anticipation of being found guilty at a “hearing” tomorrow morning, which will try him for being an identified drug user (IDU).

If found guilty, Stuart will spend 28 days – almost the entirety of the rest of his three-month sentence – in a punishment cell.

He will lose all privileges, including visits and possibly the right to receive letters.

”I’m expecting to go off the air,” he said by phone early this afternoon.

Speaking about his incarceration, Stuart said: “It’s the whole system that is evil, from the prison guards who need their uniforms, to the judges and magistrates, court officials, the police, security guards . . . it’s their job.

“They pray on us. They suck our blood. They need fresh flesh to feed the maggots.”

Stuart said that people “on the outside” did not protest because they had been “conditioned to be passive”.

“They (our governors) convince people they can do nothing,” he said.

“We have to break that mindset. We’ve got to get our shit together. I’ve had a gutful. Things would really change if more people said, ‘Right, we’re not going to take this anymore’."

Stuart has 29 days left to serve.

For more information about Stuart’s case click here.

To arrange an interview, please ring NAPNT on 0415 16 2525 (+61 415 16 2525 from overseas) or Darwin Prison on (08) 8922 0111 (+61 8 89220111).

NAPNT members are extremely concerned for Stuart’s welfare, please ring the Darwin Correctional Centre on (08) 8922 0111 (+61 8 8922 0111 from outside Australia) and demand that Stuart’s human rights are being respected. Please write to Stuart and let him know that he (and the other prisoners) has support on the outside.