On 29 August, just two weeks ago we broke the story that the New Zealand Police had sought the help of Interpol Canberra to help them illegally stop two Australian journalists, Avi Yemini and Rukshan Fernando, from coming to New Zealand.
We were leaked an Interpol email, that many on the left accused us of faking.
It was subsequently revealed that the email was indeed real but Police were refusing to even discuss the matter.
Police Minister Chris Hipkins was also questioned about the contents of the email and the actions of the NZ Police.
Then we received the news that the Police had instigated a “mole” hunt, trying to discover the source of the leak. The NZ Herald, who were a party to the disinformation about Avi Yemini, took the side of Police and made the story all about the mole, refusing to name this site or even acknowledge the overreach of the Police seeking dirt to confirm the decision that Police had made, illegally, to prevent Avi Yemini and Rukshan Fernando coming to New Zealand.
As Police Minister Chris Hipkins stated, such decisions are not within the purview of Police. It is actually the role of Immigration NZ to make such decisions.
The leaked email had caught the Police in an embarrassing predicament. By sending the email they had actually broken Article Three of the Interpol Constitution.
“It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.”
Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution.
We made an Official Information Request about the matter, seeking the release of the email we had already published. Yesterday evening we received the Police reply:
Police have refused to release the email requested under the Official Information Act. They have cited three provisions stating that to release the email would “prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand”, or releasing the email would be “likely to prejudice the entrusting of information to the Government of New Zealand” or would be “likely to prejudice the maintenance of law including the prevention, investigation and detection of offences and the right to fair trial”.
But the rights to a fair trial for Avi Yemini had already been prejudiced by the publication in the NZ Herald of a disinformation article that was then used by Police to make their illegal request to Interpol Canberra. The email also showed that, contrary to the natural justice and fair trial rights of Avi Yemini, they had already decided they wanted to prevent him from coming to New Zealand.
The Police are using the security and defence provisions of the Official Information Act to cover their acute embarrassment that a leaked Interpol email outed their illegal attempts to prevent a working journalist from coming to New Zealand. The use of Section 6(b) is the real reason why it has been refused. Basically, Police are saying, ‘We won’t release this info because it may prejudice other countries, agencies or organisations against us.’ In other words, ‘We cocked up and it’s not a good look internationally.’
New Zealand’s shabby reputation has taken yet another knock as this Government and their Police lackeys continue their assault on the freedom of the press.
The BFD will not let this rest. We will complain to the Ombudsman regarding the refusal of Police to release the information requested.
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