TASMANIAN man Kirk Pinner has today (June 1) formally written to Ministers Ellison, Downer and Ruddock seeking legal assistance for his appeal in the US.
Kirk was released from a US prison in April this year after his year old application to transfer home was denied by Idaho officials.
Kirk took the opportunity to further lodge his concerns regarding statements made in the media reports to outlining the legal asistance provided to all Australians overseas.
The Australian Government is pursuing and expediting an agreement to have Ms Corby transferred home to serve her sentence in Australia when Kirk’s application to transfer home was denied.
Kirk has been relentless over the last 4 years in seeking assistance from the Australian Government, including requesting that the Australian government provide legal assistance for his 2004 trial and all his requests were denied.
Requests for adequate medical assistance and requests for assistance by his family were also denied.
Kirk Pinner sought clarification from the Ministers for these denials in the wake of the barrage of legal assistance received by and offered to Schapelle Corby.
Kirk said that he would urgently like know “why was I not offered legal and finacial assistance and why were my requests for legal and financial assistance denied.”
Kirk has forwarded an appeal application dated May 27 2005, against his 2004 conviction to the Ada County Court in Idaho USA.
He has listed perjury, fabrication of evidence and ineffective assistance of counsel as some of his grounds for the appeal. Kirk insists that had the Australian Government provided him the same asistance as offered to Ms Corby that he would not now be needing to lodge his appeal.
He is now waiting to see if the Australian Government will now try to help him when they have previously failed, in the light of the assistance offered to Ms Corby.
Kirk Pinner: 0437 675 332 or Tracey Anderson: 0408 838 647
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Deboxer
June 2, 2005 at 15:08
And what about whathisname still in Guantanomo Bay?
Nudge
June 3, 2005 at 08:23
There are many inequities around at the moment all with the tainted hand of Johnny and the Canberrians on them.
Immigration is a disaster, security non-existent. Would we have voted for this crowd if we had known all this in advance?
Anyway, re Kirk Pinner. If Corby’s plight helps give publicity to others this is a good thing. It seems travelling overseas is a bit more fraught than we know, even with Osama and his lot out there somewhere.
I liked this letter from a New Zealander in the Jakarta Post I found through the good offices of Google.
Perhaps the take home message take your holidays at home. Boycott Bali, the US, everywhere — holiday in Zeehan instead.
Tourism Tasmania is working on the sticker campaign already.
But here’s the letter I was telling you about. Makes a lot of sense to me, though the real issue remains the absolute lack of security at Sydney airport.
It’s a case of “I thought you were doing it” between the various airlines, authorities and a certain Federal Government that hasn’t got a clue.
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More on Corby
A columnist to your newspaper uses excuses instead of the truth to explain why Australians are so upset about the miscarriage of justice that has taken place in the Schapelle Corby case.
The truth is that every person who reads about Schapelle Corby realizes that he or she, or one of his or her children, could be in Corby’s place. Each is obviously appalled at the seemingly blind eagerness of the Indonesian authorities to throw Corby into jail for the rest of her life.
Indeed, the uninvolved observer can’t help but wonder if Corby has not become the token white woman trophy for the Indonesian police and judiciary.
The danger for Indonesia lies in the widespread international exposure this case is getting, and the very clear message it sends to foreigners not to ever visit or, indeed, have anything to do with Indonesia in the future.
This could be a disaster for the Indonesian economy and its people. Indonesia cannot afford to have vigilante officials blindly pursue their own agendas and, in the process, causing unbelievable damage to the country’s reputation, economy and, ultimately, its stability.
ALLAN KIRK, Masterton, New Zealand