NZ gets rap over plight of Zaoui

By CATHERINE MASTERS

New Zealand has been given a black mark by the United Nations in the way it has handled the case of Algerian Ahmed Zaoui.

Although Mr Zaoui is not mentioned by name, a report by the committee against torture targets the processes by which he has been detained.

It calls for an immediate review of the legislation relating to the issuing of security risk certificates.

Mr Zaoui is the only person to have been given such a certificate and it has resulted in his imprisonment for 16 months, 10 of those in solitary confinement.

The committee is concerned the process may breach the Convention Against Torture, to which New Zealand is a signatory, in that it enables authorities to remove or deport a person deemed to constitute a threat to national security with no obligation to give detailed reasons or to disclose classified information to the person concerned.

The committee is also concerned about limited possibilities of effective appeal and that the Immigration Minister has only three days to decide whether to deport the person.

Also worrying were cases of prolonged solitary confinement. The report says New Zealand must ensure at all times the fight against terrorism does not lead to a breach of the convention and place undue hardship on asylum-seekers.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Helen Clark said New Zealand took UN reports seriously and she had indicated a number of times the Government intended to review the process after Mr Zaoui's case was over.

Mr Zaoui's supporters say the legislation should be reviewed immediately and Mr Zaoui released.


Herald Feature: Ahmed Zaoui, parliamentarian in prison

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