ASIO power directed to silencing “soft” targets in Australia

ASIO abuses hidden and ignored. It’s now time to let the sunshine in.

Surveillance of and interference with Australian analysts, writers and other professionals standard practice

Former Wall Street Analyst (Australian working for SBC Warburg — now part of UBS) Wilson targeted after publishing report touching on US State Department investigation into allegations US copper/gold mining company Freeport McMoran was involved in the killing of indigenous protestors in West Papua, Indonesia.

ASIO interference with Australian “soft” targets includes:

• Black Listing — damaging targets’ economic means, and social and professional standing.
• Arbitrary Interference — with family members including young children, their teachers and the parents of children’s friends; ASIO also extensively interferes with targets’ other social and peer networks.

• Intrusive Surveillance — eg collection of targets’ medical, financial, academic and tax records; home intrusion – placement of video and audio recording devices in living and bedrooms; and correspondence – eg monitoring phone, email and browser – of target, family, peers and friends.
• Removal of Privacy — security classification provided to targets’ friends, peers and family who are recruited and ASIO then provides them with private surveillance video, audio and personal records of targets’, including home/bedroom, with the aim to embarrass, humiliate and isolate the target.
• Blocking Access to Justice — through interference and collusion with targets’ lawyers.
• Blocking access to Media – interference and collusion with journalists and media outlets/publications.

• ASIO “payback” constitutes cruel and unusual punishment – practices which IGIS permits – but which are of no value to Australian national security.

IGIS colludes with ASIO; and has failed in its oversight and constraint.

“Any defence lawyer having anything to do with a case involving ASIO will know that its agents habitually act outside their powers and routinely abuse them, always in secret. It is rare indeed for their conduct to be exposed.” — Ian Barker, QC

IGIS (Inspector General of Intelligence and Security) – the key agency for oversight of ASIO is ineffective and is not truly independent of ASIO. IGIS colludes with, and is open to ASIO influence in its oversight investigations. As a result, ASIO operates in Australia without effective oversight and constraint, leaving ordinary Australians open to unfettered ASIO abuses.

High profile matters currently requiring investigation by royal commission of ASIO and IGIS abuses include:

• Habib: torture in Egypt; recently subject to a settlement by the Australian Government.
• Ross Cameron: setup and downfall of former Liberal MP for Parramatta, in retribution for his outspoken opposition to the Howard government’s push to war in Iraq.

What you can do: Write to your elected representatives requesting ASIO and IGIS activities be subject to increased oversight scrutiny, in particular a mandatory royal commission every 5 years. For more information email: moreinfo778@yahoo.com.au

SOurce: http://www.greenleft.org.au/