Articles
New Zealand government orders probe into prisoner's baby |
BANGLADESH NEWS NET: Monday 5th March, 2007 (IANS) The minister in charge of New Zealand prisons has ordered an inquiry into how a convicted rapist fathered a child by smuggling his semen out of jail, news reports said Monday… Michael Bott, chairman of the Council for Civil Liberties, said that prisoners' partners were entitled to reproduce and conjugal rights should be considered for all prisoners. |
Skin tests proposed for drinking drivers |
ONE NEWS: 6:20PM Wednesday April 11, 2007 ONE News has discovered police are looking at the radical new way of measuring blood alcohol levels. They are also proposing to fingerprint those over the limit. The skin test device reads a person's blood alcohol level by firing infrared light through the skin… Tony Ellis of the Council for Civil Liberties says taking fingerprints is not going to stop people drinking and driving. |
Lawyers slam reforms as attack on fair hearing |
NZ HERALD 5:00AM Tuesday May 08, 2007 Criminal Justice Reform Bill |
Civil rights threat may shackle Government |
NZ HERALD 5:00AM Thursday Jun 14, 2007 The Government's main response to the Ombudsman's damning report on the transport of prisoners is under threat, with civil libertarians warning any attempt to introduce waist restraints will meet legal action. The report said prisoners were often transported in inhumane conditions. It called on Corrections to redesign prison vans so that guards could properly supervise inmates, and prisoners could be kept safe from accidents and from each other… |
Cleavage complaint likely to fail |
THE DOMINION POST: 26/09/2007 Wellington civil liberties lawyer Tony Ellis said he did not believe Ms Simpson had solid grounds to argue she was discriminated against. |
Civil Liberties fears online ID system |
THE DOMINION POST: 12/11/2007 An online identity verification system recently proposed by the Government could be manipulated against the public, says New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties chairman Michael Bott. Internal Affairs wants public comment on the voluntary system, which would let people prove their identity online and could include the use of biometric technologies such as fingerprint-readers… |
Retailers get behind spray ban |
NZ HERALD 5:00AM Saturday Feb 16, 2008 Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday announced a raft of proposals, including a ban on the sale of spray cans to those under 18 and introducing a new offence of tagging under the Summary Offences Act…. Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Bott rubbished the measures as ill-thought-out laws designed to "create the perception of fighting tagging at the ballot box". The anti-tagging proposals were "pandering to the rednecks" in an election year. |
Civil liberties council slams Taser decision |
NZPA: Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
Are we creeping towards a surveillance state? |
NZLawyer, issue 98, 3 October 2008 Bott said that a proposed power for police to detain people went beyond any power previously introduced either in New Zealand or in any major Commonwealth country. “I think it’s quite sweeping. What is happening in the name of the law and order campaign is human rights and civil liberties are being auctioned off without any appreciation of what we are giving away, why in essence we have these protections, and their historical origins. We’re having a jackbooted jump back to the past where the citizen has minimal protection against the might of the state.” |
Police anti-terror squad spies on protest groups |
By NICKY HAGER and ANTHONY HUBBARD - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 14 December 2008 POLICE TEAMS set up to identify terrorism threats and risks to national security are spying on protest and community groups, including Greenpeace, animal rights and climate change campaigners, and Iraq war protesters. Police officers from the Special Investigation Group (SIG) have carried out surveillance and used a paid informer to gather information not just about planned protests but the personal lives and sexual relationships of group members… |
Editorial: Let's screen early for offending |
NZ HERALD 5:00AM Friday Jan 25, 2008 |
Law advisers question domestic violence move |
NZ HERALD 4:00AM Tuesday Feb 10, 2009 A leaked Law Commission paper has questioned whether a new measure to allow police to issue "on-the-spot" protection orders for up to five days to prevent domestic violence is necessary… |
UN expresses concern about Tasers in NZ |
NZ HERALD 11:08AM Thursday May 21, 2009 The United Nations Committee Against Torture says it is "deeply concerned" about New Zealand police adopting the Taser stun gun, as it releases a growing list of worries about this country's justice system... Human rights lawyer Tony Ellis said the UN committee's 2004 report contained eight recommendations, but the latest contained 18. |
Concern over new jail cells: Civil Liberties concerned about humaneness of proposal to house prison inmates in shipping containers |
NZCity, NewsTalkZB 21 June 2009 Council of Civil Liberties chairman and barrister Michael Bott says …it raises a whole different set of concerns around double bunking and things like humane lighting, heating and toilet facilities. Mr Bott says forcing prisoners to build the accommodation essentially makes them part of a labour camp. |
Libertarians slam new law forcing witnesses to speak up |
NZ HERALD 4:00AM Saturday Jul 04, 2009 A new bill that would force people to reveal relevant evidence will leave citizens without protection and give the state total power, say civil libertarians. The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has labelled the Search and Surveillance Bill - recommended by the Law Commission and tabled in Parliament on Thursday - a "chilling piece of legislation" that takes away a person's right to silence unless convicted of an offence. |
NZCCL in the News |
NZCCL appears in the news from time to time, these are some of those articles. |
United Nations Special Rapporteur |
In 2008, the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties and its former President, Tony Ellis lodged a complaint with the United Nations Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers against Elias CJ, Tipping J and Blanchard J and the New Zealand Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. |
‘Three Strikes’ legislation |
The Sentencing and Law Reform Bill 2009 advocates that a ’Three Strikes’ policy is introduced in New Zealand. This policy would provide an automatic prison term of 25 years without parole for a third offence (excluding minor offences). The Bill advocates sentences out of proportion than the crime committed and focuses on punishment rather than rehabilitation. The policy advocated in the Bill has only little potential effect in protecting the community, and would lead to many people being constrained in prison to no good effect either to them or to the community. |
Falun Dafa and Wellington City Council |
This article outlines instances of systemic discrimination against the Falun Dafa Association by the Wellington City Council over the last two years. This discrimination, involving refusal for the organisation to participate in various parades and other public events, appears to be motivated by the desire to maintain good relations with China, but is in effect condoning and supporting China’s repression of the organisation within China. |
Current Articles |
These are the civil liberties issues we are currently involved in. |
Antisocial test for children backed |
NZ HERALD 5:00AM Friday Jan 25, 2008 Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro strongly supports measures to vet young children for targeted help if they show antisocial behaviour. New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties chairman Michael Bott raised concerns the plan would take the state further into private family matters. |