Zaoui faces two more months in isolation

By HELEN TUNNAH DEPUTY, political editor

Algerian refugee Ahmed Zaoui is likely to remain in isolation in jail for a further two months, despite reports that he is suffering mentally.

Mr Zaoui, declared a genuine refugee by officials, has been in prison for 10 months, even though the Security Intelligence Service has not been able to provide any public evidence that he is a threat to New Zealand's security.

Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday rejected suggestions by Green MP Keith Locke that Mr Zaoui was a victim of mental torture.

Mr Locke, who has visited Mr Zaoui in Auckland Prison at Paremoremo, has urged authorities to move him to the Refugee Resettlement Centre at Mangere, where other asylum-seekers are detained.

"It would be cruel and unconscionable to keep him in solitary confinement there for any longer," Mr Locke said.

His call followed a report from trauma specialist Professor Tony Taylor that Mr Zaoui had been mentally damaged during his time in jail since arriving in New Zealand last December.

Professor Taylor, who has counselled rescue workers from the Air New Zealand Erebus plane crash and Fijians held hostage during the 2000 coup, conducted tests on Mr Zaoui in prison and said he was suffering mentally.

Mr Zaoui, an Algerian politician, claimed refugee status when he arrived in New Zealand, but was detained by Immigration officials as a suspected terrorist.

Although the Refugee Status Appeals Authority ruled his asylum claim was genuine, the validity of a national security risk certificate, issued against him by the SIS, is still being reviewed.

Retired High Court judge Laurie Greig is considering the secret SIS evidence, but would not say yesterday when his checks would be completed.

But Helen Clark said Mr Greig's work had up to two months to run.

"I suspect [Mr Zaoui] is likely to be in prison while the appeal to the Inspector-General Security is in play, and that is likely to go until at least December."

She said she did not think New Zealand's reputation as a compassionate country would be affected by Mr Zaoui's continuing detention. "I don't think so. By international standards New Zealand treats refugees and asylum-seekers very well.

"But Mr Zaoui has been detained pursuant to the law, and as Corrections has indicated, they are prepared to look at the management regime again.

"They'll be discussing that with Immigration."

Mr Zaoui's detention, approved through the courts, was requested by the Immigration Service.

But the decision to keep him in solitary confinement at Paremoremo was made by the Corrections Department.

Mr Zaoui's lawyer, Deborah Manning, said yesterday that her client had now been told he would not be given any summary of the classified SIS evidence during a hearing into the validity of the risk certificate, probably in the High Court, next month.

She said Mr Greig had ruled that no summary of accusations against Mr Zaoui would be provided.

Mr Zaoui would call 13 witnesses to testify on his behalf at the hearing.

Ahmed Zaoui

Ahmed Zaoui, a former Algerian MP whose government was overthrown by the military, claimed refugee status on arrival, with a false passport, at Auckland Airport last December.

He was refused asylum and held in jail.

Mr Zaoui was cleared of terrorist links by the Refugee Status Appeals Authority.

He is still in jail awaiting the outcome of a review of a security risk certificate.