Media Release
Wednesday September 17, 2008 6:30am WST
For Immediate Release
No Embargoes
PRESS CONFERENCE: COURTYARD OUTSIDE AUSSIES CAFE 1:30PM
"The Ruling Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand, Bishop Irinej, will be - in full vestments - amongst a delegation of the Serbian Community members' 'Serbs for Justice' advocacy group, that will visit Parliament House today and meet with several Parliamentarians.
"The parliamentary delegation, supported and partly co-ordinated by WA Human Rights group Project SafeCom, is an effort to clarify the circumstances of Australian citizen Daniel Snedden, who was incarcerated in a "discretionary decision" by former Attorney-General Philip Ruddock in collaboration with former Justice Minister Chris Ellison without having any charges brought against him, neither by the Australian Commonwealth nor by the Serbs' former foe in the Balkan war, Croatia, but simply in response to an extradition request by Croatia.
Today is also the last day for written Federal court submissions of the legal team of Mr Snedden, who is challenging his extradition in the NSW Federal Court on the grounds that he cannot possibly receive a fair trial in the Balkan nation, because of his former fame in Serbia.
"Mr Snedden's incarceration since January 2006 in maximum security Silverwater and Parklea jails, apart from the fact that it has probably already swallowed up more than half a million dollars of taxpayers money, shows that the former Attorney-General was more interested in obliging to the wishes of another nation than in protecting Australian citizens - not an unusual tale for Philip Ruddock," Project SafeCom co-ordinator Jack H Smit said.
PRESS CONFERENCE: COURTYARD OUTSIDE AUSSIES CAFE 1:30PM
Jack H Smit
Project SafeCom Inc.
[phone number posted]
Ilija Glisic, Nada Lukich-Bruce
Serbs for Justice
[phone number posted]