45 days down, 46 to go

Transcript of Stuart’s comments during his three-minute telephone call Friday, December 2, 2005, 11.15am, to the Network Against Prohibition (calls are monitored and cut off the moment the three minutes is up):

Sorry, about the noise, they’re hosing down the exercise yard with high-pressure hoses.

I saw legal aid yesterday (by video link) and Lorenzo told me he would get back to me next week to see if an appeal had any merit. They don’t seem too concerned. During the conference a prisoner hit me across the eye with an open palm. He’s a nutcase. He’s crazy. He commits acts of random violence. I could have pressed charges but won’t because he’s crazy . . . he sings to himself and there’s a book in the library with the word “the” crossed out throughout the book. They think it’s the same guy. I am OK though.

I’ve just finished being put in the punishment cells for minor infractions of the rules. There’s a waiting list of people to go in them, there’s a back log (but) there’s only six cells.

(Stuart talks about Nguyen Tuong Van, the Australian who was executed in Singapore that morning, then moves on to Ronald Ryan):

(Ryan) was the last man executed in Australia, in 1967 . . . the last state execution in Australia, That was the end of the death penalty in Australia, so maybe we can force Singapore and other countries to end the death penalty, too . . . There’s so much stuff to tell, you can’t say it all in a letter . . . (letters are read) by the guards. You can’t write any private stuff or say anything about the other prisoners.

There are so many human rights abuses, its systemic callousness. Somebody has to expose it. I saw the ABC van (yesterday) and I think they recognised me, so maybe watch the 7.30 Report tonight? You have to be in this place to experience it. It’s not just one individual (guard), it’s the whole system, the whole place is evil. We’re prisoners but we are suffering human rights abuses all the time. I’ve been here 45 days, I’ve got 46 to go.

I still haven’t been granted my special diet of prunes and bran. It doesn’t matter how many times (I) ask, we don’t have rights. The only people who have human rights in here, are the prison guards.

We got locked down yesterday. We were allowed out of our cells for three hours. There had been a fight between two prisoners. Outside people are on edge, let alone in here . . . It was a Code Three (fight) and the siren goes off. The other day there were two (fights) within an hour.

I received a letter from Thomas Meyer-Falk (a prisoner in Germany who Stuart corresponds with) and he received a letter from Schapelle Corby! I wrote to him and gave her Schapelle’s address, and he wrote to her, and she wrote back, so that’s good. I (also) received a letter from Shane (a prisoner in Casuarina, Perth). He seems to have it easier down there. He works in the print shop.

I’m expecting a visit from Vaughan and my Godson Kevy.