THE AGE Activist's visa application on hold By TANIA BRANIGAN Saturday 29 December 2001
The Federal Government is delaying granting a visa to Australian-born gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell despite serious illness in his family, because of fears that he might ``molest, stalk or intimidate'' someone while he is here. Mr Tatchell, who took British citizenship after moving to the United Kingdom in 1971, applied for a visa on September13. He has been waiting for approval since. He had been due to visit Brisbane for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was to attend. The event has been postponed until March, 2002. In March, Mr Tatchell was beaten by Mr Mugabe's bodyguards when he tried to make a citizen's arrest during the President's visit to Brussels. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock insists he has not rejected the campaigner's application, but says he will not grant a visa until ``possible character concerns'' are addressed. Mr Tatchell has promised in a signed statement that he will not approach Mr Mugabe, although he says he will continue to petition Canberra to arrest the President for torture. The campaigner's stepfather, who brought him up, is critically ill in hospital after a stroke and his mother has serious health problems. Mr Tatchell has had to cancel several journalistic commissions he had agreed to do in Australia. ``This hold-up is tantamount to a de facto visa refusal,'' Mr Tatchell said. ``To keep a family apart at a time of life-threatening illness is cruel and heartless. ``They are prepared to roll out the red carpet for Mugabe despite his human rights record, yet a human rights campaigner is not allowed into the country of his birth.'' Mr Ruddock told ABC News: ``He has not been rejected. He is being asked to comment in the light of the matters that have been carried in the media as to whether or not he should be allowed to come into Australia, given possible character concerns.'' ``If you look at his public comments and you look at what he's done before, there is a clear risk that he might molest, intimidate or stalk a person in Australia.'' The Australian Democrats' immigration spokesman, Andrew Bartlett, said: ``This decision is particularly repugnant considering President Robert Mugabe, a known human rights abuser, is being granted admission.'' Yesterday, the Federal Government refused to comment further on the case, saying privacy laws ruled out public statements on individual visa applications. A spokesman for Mr Ruddock said: ``The bottom line is we don't give running updates about individual visa applications.'' GUARDIAN http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/2001/12/29/news_national4.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/ until 11 March, 2001 and Recoznettwo is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo%40green.net.au/ from that date. This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
