News / National
Former Australian magistrate fears for son-in-law Gwisai's safety
21 Apr 2011 at 06:13hrs | Views
WHEN Tony Bloemen received a phone call from Fremantle resident Barry Healy asking him to speak at last week's rally of support for six human rights activists in Zimbabwe, he could not bare to say no.
The former WA magistrate's son-in-law, Munyaradzi Gwisai, was one of those activists who faced what Mr Bloeman called the equivalent of an Australian Supreme Court yesterday, charged with treason – a capital offence.
As previously reported in the Gazette, Mr Bloemen believed his 40-year-old son-in-law was arrested, along with many others, after showing a public video of an uprising in Tunisia.
After marrying his daughter five years ago, Mr Bloemen said he was extremely proud of his son-in-law who was not trying to be a "hero" and was just fighting for equality.
"He's very, very active and concerned for the little people, for those people who don't have a voice or don't know how to go about that," he said.
With Mr Gwisai a law lecturer, with his Masters in Law from Columbia University, and an Australian permanent resident, Mr Bloemen said people, including himself, often suggested his son-in-law move to Australia to teach law.
"And he answers, 'If Mandela would have done that, if Martin Luther King would have done that, if Ghandi would have done that, people still couldn't take a sh*t where I can take it'."
"I have to add to that,: Mr Bloemen said, "thank God we have people like that."
The former WA magistrate said he was extremely nervous about the fate of his son-in-law because he realised the seriousness of the charge and was concerned about the pressure judges may face from Robert Mugabe.
Mr Bloeman said he thought the western world could help reduce the bloodshed happening in dictatorships across the world, such as Libya and Zimbabwe, by offering an escape to those involved.
"It may not be a good solution, but it would be much better solution than we have today," he said.
"Where we would say 'look you people, not Gaddafi, not Mugabe, but his team, you can come to Europe, you can come to Australia, you can come to America and you can even keep 20 per cent of your money and you won't be followed by the courts".
"That gives them now an exit, now they have no exit, their money will be totally confiscated in Europe – wherever it is – if they go there they get taken by the international court so they have no choice than to fight to the death"
The former WA magistrate's son-in-law, Munyaradzi Gwisai, was one of those activists who faced what Mr Bloeman called the equivalent of an Australian Supreme Court yesterday, charged with treason – a capital offence.
As previously reported in the Gazette, Mr Bloemen believed his 40-year-old son-in-law was arrested, along with many others, after showing a public video of an uprising in Tunisia.
After marrying his daughter five years ago, Mr Bloemen said he was extremely proud of his son-in-law who was not trying to be a "hero" and was just fighting for equality.
"He's very, very active and concerned for the little people, for those people who don't have a voice or don't know how to go about that," he said.
With Mr Gwisai a law lecturer, with his Masters in Law from Columbia University, and an Australian permanent resident, Mr Bloemen said people, including himself, often suggested his son-in-law move to Australia to teach law.
"And he answers, 'If Mandela would have done that, if Martin Luther King would have done that, if Ghandi would have done that, people still couldn't take a sh*t where I can take it'."
"I have to add to that,: Mr Bloemen said, "thank God we have people like that."
The former WA magistrate said he was extremely nervous about the fate of his son-in-law because he realised the seriousness of the charge and was concerned about the pressure judges may face from Robert Mugabe.
Mr Bloeman said he thought the western world could help reduce the bloodshed happening in dictatorships across the world, such as Libya and Zimbabwe, by offering an escape to those involved.
"It may not be a good solution, but it would be much better solution than we have today," he said.
"Where we would say 'look you people, not Gaddafi, not Mugabe, but his team, you can come to Europe, you can come to Australia, you can come to America and you can even keep 20 per cent of your money and you won't be followed by the courts".
"That gives them now an exit, now they have no exit, their money will be totally confiscated in Europe – wherever it is – if they go there they get taken by the international court so they have no choice than to fight to the death"
Source - Byo24News
