Model Letter For International Condemnation Of Aoteroa Arrests

Copies to:

Rt Hon Helen Clark
Prime Minister
PO Box 18888
Parliament Buildings
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Ph: 64 4 471 9998
Fax: 64 4 473 3579
Email: pm@ministers.govt.nz

I am writing to condemn the actions of the New Zealand government in using the Terrorism Suppression laws against the people of Aotearoa.

Armed New Zealand police have boarded a bus full of school children. They established a cordon around the township of Taneatua on a line used for the confiscation of land. They searched people's houses and seized everyday items under warrants issued under anti-terrorism laws. They arrested 17 Maori sovereignty campaigners and social and environmental activists who remain in jail.

It is easy to see why Maori leaders claim that this action has set back New Zealand race relations by 100 years. You need to be aware that this action has also done grave damage to New Zealand's international reputation. It seems inconceivable that the New Zealand government now believes that it should be elected to a seat on the new UN Human Rights Council, and you should expect that it will be vigorously resisted by those of us who oppose the use of anti-terrorism powers against domestic dissent.

Your government has branded people as ‘terrorists'. In today's climate of fear, that is the most damaging label that can be applied to any individual. Its effect spreads to their families and communities. Once it has been used, it creates a new norm that justifies the expansion of state power and violations of fundamental human rights without the need to justify those actions.

Your government's action helps to explain why New Zealand was one of just four that voted against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The repression of the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa and their struggle to assert their sovereignty in the face of colonial occupation appears to be a central element of New Zealand government practice.

I understand that those who have been arrested have been denied bail and may be detained for several years before the allegations against them can be tested in the courts. They should be released on bail immediately.

Beyond that, the sweeping powers that state has granted to itself under anti-terrorism laws should be repealed.