MEDIA RELEASE 11/4/01
Attack on Drug War Freedom Ride =AD Cessnock Court sequel
On Wednesday April 11 in Cessnock Local Court NSW, eight witnesses for
Corrective Services and Police will explain why they attacked two Cessnock
prison visitors including a 15 year old almost-blind girl not realising
that they were authorised to visit the prison.
The charge of unlawful entry has now been withdrawn and replaced with the
accusation that they attempted to talk with prisoners about the need to
change the drug laws. The officers say when they surrounded the man
peacefully 20cm away, he attacked them and they needed to restrain him.
Unfortunately he suffered injuries in the process. They admit that three or
four prison officers held him, forced his face into the ground, put their
legs on top of his chest, with arms handcuffed pulled up behind his back
until the police arrived. His blind companion said he was attacked without
warning and she was abused and threatened. When prison governor Mitcherson
realised his men had attacked a respected person, he directed that a video
camera be used as "the incident would adversely reflect on the Department".
The Freedom Ride against the Drug Was was launched in Toronto Canada using
the spirit of the World Peace Flame on the same day as the Olympic Flame
was lit, 10/5/00, and went around the world accumulating testimonies of the
victims of the drug war. During July and August it toured most NSW prisons
speaking with prisoners, visitors and the general public ending in Sydney
at the Olympic Games.
Sydney barrister Daniel Brezniak will put to local Magistrate Elliot that
assault charges should now be laid against the prison officers for their
misbehavior, and that this is an opportunity to reassert the community's
right to involve prisoners in hearing and discussing material which
affects their freedom.
It will be put that prison authorities must accept that their
responsibility for security is not permission to restrict community
observation and particularly on matters of general public debate. That the
Government Plan of Action for the Drug Summit 1999 accepted the important
role of communities in dealing with the drug issue. (Section 8.1)
Daniel Brezniak barrister 0419 271100 Brett Collins 0438 705003
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