Human rights advocates rally to support US whistleblower, saying if the government ‘consider themselves proponents of free speech they should let her in’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Australian human rights groups have rallied to support Chelsea Manning, deriding the proposal to ban the US whistleblower from entering Australia as a “political stunt” to appease the Trump administration.

The Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale, Labor equality spokeswoman Louise Pratt and numerous human rights groups lobbied the Morrison government on Thursday, arguing free speech means opponents of government policy should not be barred from entry.

Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the US army who served in the Iraq war, spent seven years in a military prison after being convicted of leaking nearly 750,000 classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks. Barack Obama commuted her original 35-year-sentence, and she was released in May 2017.

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On Wednesday the immigration department issued a notice of intention to consider blocking Manning’s visa under section 501 of the Migration Act, which allows refusal on “character” grounds.

Manning and the Australian organiser of her speaking tour, Think Inc, have expressed confidence the immigration minister David Coleman will not follow through on the ban given the overwhelming support for her visit.

Think Inc released a statement on Thursday afternoon saying they had requested that both home affairs minister Peter Dutton and Coleman “apply their ministerial discretion to allow Ms Manning entry into Australia.”

“The request includes more than 10 letters of support from individuals and organisations who stand with Ms Manning and support her entry to Australia,” the statement said.

Hugh de Kretser, the executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre, told Guardian Australia: “As a democracy, we should encouraging not banning public contributions from people like Chelsea Manning.

“She’s generating vital debate around issues like secret mass surveillance of citizens by governments. The visa should be granted.”

The Digital Rights Watch chairman, Tim Singleton Norton, said the move to ban Manning was “nothing more than a political stunt designed to appease the current US administration, and an unnecessary imposition on the movements of a world-renowned civil rights activist”.

“The Australian government talk a lot about freedom of speech, but this rarely seems to be extended to defend those who profess opinions that are not aligned with their own,” he said.

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Pratt told Guardian Australia she personally supports Manning being granted a visa because she would “make a positive contribution to public debate” on a range of topics. “If [the Coalition] consider themselves proponents of free speech they should let her in.”

Di Natale wrote to the government noting Manning “is not a public figure who incites violence or hate”.

“[Manning’s] work is focused on transparency and accountability,” he said. “We need more of it in Australia – not less.”

Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) .@xychelsea’s work is focused on transparency and accountability. We need more of that in Australia - not less.



Late last night we contacted the Morrison Government and called on them to reverse their proposed ban on Chelsea entering Australia. pic.twitter.com/xG1stahsMS

Claire Mallinson, national director of Amnesty International Australia, said it was “very concerned” the Australian government was seeking to silence Manning warning it sends a “chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued by our government”.

“Chelsea Manning is travelling to Australia for a series of talks which will include discussion of the potential human rights violations she exposed as a whistle-blower and her human rights activism since she got out of prison, including as an outspoken LGBTQI rights advocate,” she said.

Sarah Joseph, the director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, wrote to Coleman noting Manning is “a controversial figure who has paid her debt to society for past wrongs and has much to contribute to public discourse in our country”.

“We believe that she comfortably satisfies the character grounds set out in the Migration Act.”

In a letter of support the Australian Privacy Foundation strongly urged Manning be allowed in, noting that Obama had found she “took responsibility for her actions and received an excessive sentence”.

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“It is clear that Australians want to hear what Ms Manning has to say given sold-out events across the country,” it said.

The foundation also noted that after being denied a visa to Canada in September 2017, Manning was later able to enter Canada in May 2018.

Manning, an occasional Guardian columnist, was due to arrive in Australia on Thursday. She is scheduled to give a speech at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday night as part of the Antidote festival, as well as addresses in Brisbane and Melbourne.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Home Affairs, which oversees immigration, said it would not comment on individual cases, but that all non-citizens entering Australia must meet the character requirements of the Migration Act.

“A person can fail the character test for a number of reasons, including but not limited to where a non-citizen has a substantial criminal record or where their conduct represents a risk to the Australian community.”

The rappers Snoop Dogg and Chris Brown, the “pickup artist” Jeff Allen and the boxer Floyd Mayweather have all been denied visas on character grounds. The Holocaust denier David Irving has been refused a visa various times.