item details
Biz Collection; manufacturer(s); circa 2003; China
Overview
The legal case of Algerian academic Ahmed Zaoui was of national concern from 2003-05. This tee-shirt documents this significant protest.
In 2003, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service deemed Mr Zaoui a risk to New Zealand's national security, disregarding the fact that the Refugee Status Appeals Authority (RSAA) had deemed him a legitimate refugee. Mr Zaoui spent two years detained, much of it in solitary confinement, while the government fought in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court to have him remain detained. In December 2004, Mr Zaoui was released on bail into the care of Auckland's St Benedict's Dominican friary.
The Zaoui/NZSIS case was seen as a test case in New Zealand and demonstrated the legal fragility of New Zealand's security/immigration laws. It also questioned the professionalism of New Zealand's intelligence gatherers; and raised concerns about the New Zealand government's commitment to balancing an individual's right to refuge and fair hearing while decisions leading to detention pend review (information from www.scoop.co.nz, downloaded 24.11.05).
The Security Intelligence Service dropped its opposition to Ahmed Zaoui's claim for asylum on 13 September 2007. He was deemed a refugee (The Dominion Post, 14.9.07, p. 1).