IPAN open letter to the PM and Defence Minister regarding treatment of Swan Island Peace Convergence activists

Wednesday 29^th October 2014

Open letter to the Prime Minister Mr Tony Abbott and the Defence Minister Mr David Johnston

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) bring together over 50 community based peace and justice organisations across Australia.

We wish to express our grave concern regarding the alleged actions of SAS personnel, towards a small group of peaceful protesters at Swan Island military base on the ^2nd October.

It is our understanding the Swan Island Peace Convergence group has protested Australian involvement in foreign wars over the past 5 years with protesters treated lawfully and peacefully by the ADF and the Victorian Police Force.

We in the IPAN are concerned that the tactics used this time, which include hooding, stripping of clothing, physical and verbal violence from ADF personnel reflect the Australian government’s current policies which restrict civil liberties on the basis of the threat of terrorism to Australian citizens.

The actions of the ADF personnel are reminiscent of the treatment of prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 by US troops, and indeed correlate with a number of inquiries into treatment of civilians by ADF personnel during Australian military engagement in Afghanistan.

We ask, are our young men and women in the ADF being trained to commit war crimes?

When viewed in the context of the government’s decision to send Australian forces into Iraq for the 3^rd time we express our concern that the people of our country are being constrained in their democratic rights to protest this engagement as it potentially grows into a major war.

The members of IPAN request that findings of the investigation by the Department of Defence into the actions of members of the ADF at Swan Island be made public.

Signed:

Annette Brownlie on behalf of the  Independent and Peaceful Australia Network

Medical Assn. for the Prevention of War

Lorel Thomas-Victorian Peace and Social Justice Network of Quakers.

Nick Deane- Marrickville Peace Group

Mr Norm Bullen- Just Peace Qld

Dr Chris Haw-Physicians against War

Georgia Murphy-SafeGround.

Peter Arndt Executive Officer-Catholic Justice & Peace Commission of Brisbane

Professor Alison Broinowski

Joan Jenkins-Bunbury Peace Group.

Australian Anti-Bases Coalition- Denis Doherty

Peter Murphy – Sydney Peace & Justice Coalition

Graeme Dunstan-Peacebus

Jim Green- Friends of the Earth

Beverley Polzin- Quaker

Stephen Darley-Campaign Against Foreign Military Bases (SA)

Peter D Jones, Tasmania Quaker Peace & Justice Committee (Hobart)

Philippine Australia Solidarity Assn

Philippine Caucus for Peace

Kathy Damm- Qld Quakers

Frances Kendall-Just Peace

Ruth Russell WILPF

Willy Bach- Standfast

Dale Hess

Rosemary Morrow Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute

Bevan Ramsden- Newcastle Peace Group

Romina Beitseen

John Hughes- Early Works

Rev Simon Moyle

Rev Alan Matheson AM

Joan Kitchen

Michael Henry- Just Peace

Shirley Winton- Spirit of Eureka Vic

Prof Richard Tanter

Daniel Brown Rite of Strings

Annie Didcott WILPF ACT

Bob Briton-General Secretary Communist Party of Australia

David Bradbury- Frontline Films

Roger Keyes- Adelaide Quaker meeting

Ann Rees- Adelaide Quaker meeting

Dr Janet Bodycomb MAPW Vic

Ross Battison Vic

Michael Hamel-Green- MAPW

Julie Marlow- Australian Anti-bases Coalition

Paul Malone

Margaret OÇallaghan

Hannah Middleton- Independent Activist

Anne Lane -Catholics in Coalition for Justice and Peace

The Hon Sandra Kanck

Boyette Jurcales- Ban the Bases

Father Claude Mostowik- Pax Christi

Maureen McKeown

Kay Mc Padden

Irene Gale AM

Margaret Jacobs- Member of Women in Black

Pip Hinman

May Kotsakis – Philippines Australia Solidarity Association.

Berlin Guerrero – Philippine Caucus for Peace

George Kotsakis – Migrante Australia

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network

PO Box 573 Coorparoo Brisbane 4151 Ph: 0431597256