Media Release: Australian Ministers warned against travel to NZ
From: Auckland Peace Action
Date: 6 Monday 2017
“A day after Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull again rejected New Zealand’s offer to resettle some refugees
held in prison gulags on Manus Island, he has been warned not to visit New Zealand as he may face arrest on charges of
crimes against humanity,” said Auckland Peace Action member Hamish Noonan.
“Members of Auckland Peace Action have today delivered a warning to both Malcolm Turnbull and to Australian Immigration
Minister Peter Dutton that their failure to save the lives of 700 innocent people will result in arrest warrants being
sought should they try to come to New Zealand. The group delivered the warning to the Australian Consulate at
lunchtime.”
“The matter is already before the International Criminal Court (ICC), and of course New Zealand is a signatory to the
Rome Statute so we have jurisdiction to take action against perpetrators of crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
“Earlier this year, the Global Legal Action Network (Glan) and the Stanford International Human Rights Clinic put a mass
of evidence before the ICC of the abuses inside the camps. The closure of the camp at Manus, and the plan by the
Australian government to leave the 700 people on the island actually compounds the culpability of the Prime Minister and
Minister of Immigration in horrific crimes.”
“The people who sought refuge in Australia have been left for dead on Manus. We say its well past time that the New
Zealand government takes action to rescue these people and bring them here.”
ENDS