Sri Lankan Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen says his detention was a violation of human rights

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A Sri Lankan student who was detained in an Australian “supermax” prison on terrorism charges that were later dropped has criticised the “embarrassing and biased” police investigation against him.

Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen, 25, was arrested in August and charged with creating a document in connection with preparing for a terrorist act.

Police alleged a notebook found in a workspace sometimes used by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) PhD student had laid out a graphic “Isis-affiliated” terrorist plot that reportedly targeted prominent Sydney political figures and landmarks.

In September, police suddenly announced they were dropping all charges against Nizamdeen after two handwriting experts determined it was unclear if he had authored the text in the notebook.

Nizamdeen, who has since returned to Sri Lanka, told a press conference in Colombo this week he had been detained in a secure Australian prison unit reserved for the country’s most dangerous suspects.

Police drop terrorism charges against University of New South Wales student Read more

“It took six days for my lawyers to contact me,” he said, reading from a prepared statement. “I had no contact with the outside world for six days, which is a violation of basic human and fundamental rights.”

It took another month for his family to establish contact with him, he said.

“The method in which the AFP conducted themselves was completely immature, unprofessional, irresponsible, embarrassing and biased to say the least.”

One newspaper front page after Nizamdeen’s arrest depicted the IT worker in a keffiyeh head scarf under the headline, “Poster boy for terror”.

“Nowhere in the world would you have had the media circus which immediately followed my wrongful arrest,” Nizamdeen said on Thursday.

“I strongly believe this happened because I am an Asian on a student visa and [police] had the wrong impression that I did not have the resources to defend or declare my innocence.”

Nizamdeen’s uncle is a Sri Lankan cabinet minister and his arrest sparked protests in the country.

“The whole saga has ruined my future and I have returned to Sri Lanka to carry on my life,” he said.

“The ordeal has left me shattered and all I can think of is to raise my voice and stand in support of other victims of injustice who stand wrongfully accused by any system.”

Police declined to apologise to Nizamdeen after the charges were dropped, saying the investigation was ongoing and “we can never be complacent because the terrorist threat in Australia and NSW is very, very real”.

They said the investigation was now focusing “on the possibility that the content of the notebook has been created by other people”.

Relatives of Nizamdeen had claimed he was framed by a colleague with a vendetta against him.

Nizamdeen plans to sue for compensation.

Columnists in Sri Lanka have compared the episode to the wrongful arrest of Muhamed Haneef, an Indian-born doctor who was charged with terrorism offences in July 2007, had his visa cancelled, and then was later cleared.