h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Those of you who have been following the story, will be interested to know that yesterday, 9th December 2004 at 4 p..m, the Supreme Court here in NZ ruled, that Ahmed Zaoui, who'd been in prison for 24 months, the first 10 in "solitary" could be released on bail! He spent his first night of freedom in New Zealand last night, phoned his family and finally was able to tell his children why he hadn't been back to them, and eat something other than prison food. At his first press conference since his nightmare of xenophobia began, he said he was very tired, but very happy. In a pre-release interview last night on 'Close Up at Seven' he said that the food he was looking forward to most of all was olives. They are symbolic in Christianity, Islam and Judaism he said, and "triply sacred", interviewer as Kim Hill replied.
So, this is the first good news of 2004! I hope there will be more, in the 21 days left of this year from Hell. (Star Trek Voyager ).
For the Ahmed Zaoui story to date, see A2689590
What else? 15 days til Christmas. We have three cards already, and 50% of our shopping has been done.
The weather is sunny but absurdly windy - I've been out for 3 hours, and man, (woman too) it's blowing a gale out there!

15 days to go/15 days til /15 days til the big fat fella comes down your chimney/and gives you presents/and drinks your /15 days to ...

Thats good news
10 months in solitary and not accused of a crime

Ahmed Zaoui appeared at a press conference today, and broke down in tears because he was unable to sleep last night because of stress and toothache! He was talking about his hope of seeing his family again - he has actually been given refugee status, so in theory he can stay and bring them here. He hasn't seen or spoken to them in two years... The SIS are still trying to get him deported back to Malaysia, who will send him to Algeria where he will be killed.
He really is a lovely man, I don't know how anyone could believe he's a terrorist.
My friend Richard went along to the celebration when he was released, and I look forward to hearing more about it from Richard, who has been one of his supporters for a lot of that time...

Hello!

I have to admit that I haven’t heard of Ahmed Zaoui’s case before – it hasn’t been in the media around here. Just checked an Austrian broadsheet newspaper (online), and they didn’t report about him at all. Probably this is because we have our own xenophobic incidents every day – at the moment there is a quarrel going on about “how to get rid of foreign prisoners” – cause they cost so much more money than Austrian prisoners.

thanks for keeping us all informed.

An though I am a Muslim I would just like to say that though their are many cases of these such xenophobic incidents it is very rairly reported of incidents that take place in Muslim countries.

I don't know if you have heard but their is an organisation that helps free (mostly) Muslim's injustly imprisoned. For example their was the case of an Iranian women in Iran who was put in jail for reciting a ayah from the Qur'an referring to Hijab on public radio.

So what I'm trying to say is that it don't happen just in the west but all over the world people are injustly put in prison, rether for xenophobic reasons or other reasons.

Adib

Hi, Katkodl, Adib... I am surprised there hasn't been more international knowledge of Ahmed Zaoui. I am ashamed as a New Zealander about the way he has been treated, because we are normally much more hospitable to refugees than this case shows...
<< For example their was the case of an Iranian women in Iran who was put in jail for reciting a ayah from the Qur'an referring to Hijab on public radio.>>
I am glad this woman was helped, Adib.