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Down Under
Saddam bodyguard free in Adelaide
2005-12-05
Here's an outrage.
MEN suspected of terrible war crimes remain free in Australia for years while other asylum seekers are being locked up or fast-tracked out of the country.

One of Saddam Hussein's former bodyguards, Oday Adnan al-Tikriti, has been given temporary refuge here after at first being rejected by the Immigration Department, which found he had committed crimes against humanity.

At least 30 other men seeking asylum in Australia have been refused visas over the past 10 years on grounds that they were war criminals or had committed crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and terrorist acts, an Age investigation has found. They are able to remain in the country because of a painfully slow appeals process.

Saddam's personal bodyguard was refused a visa when he arrived because of suspected crimes against humanity. He is now living freely in Adelaide after this decision was overturned on appeal, which put doubt on the accuracy of his original interview with immigration.

Mr Tikriti, 38, a member of Saddam's family, rose to the rank of major in the former dictator's personal security force. He once worked for Saddam's notorious son Qusay, running a unit that tracked and captured dissidents. He is now married to an Australian doctor.
One seriously disturbed Australian doctor.
Not one of the men refused visas has been prosecuted under the 17-year-old Crimes (Torture) Act, which allows people "present in Australia" to be charged over foreign atrocities. They cannot be charged under laws passed three years ago especially targeting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide because their crimes were committed before the laws were introduced.

Several have been living freely in Australia for years as they wait for the appeals system to grind towards a final decision. In the past five years one man was "returned" to Iran and another to Pakistan. Nine left the country voluntarily. But there is no evidence that any found to be war criminals by Australian authorities have had to stand trial overseas.

The Federal Government is "pushing the problem under the carpet or foisting it off to somewhere else", said Graham Blewitt, a former international war crimes prosecutor.

The Age investigation has found more than 30 published cases of men, living in Australia and seeking asylum, appealing to the courts after Immigration case workers denied them protection visas on the grounds of "serious reasons to consider" that they had committed war crimes or crimes against humanity.
Posted by:Steve White

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