Mamdouh Habib - Who I am in the War on Terror (part 4)
Transcript – Mamdouh Habib @ ANU (part 3)
9.8.06
Here in Australia!
I went to the police station, and I told I have a threat, here in Australia, in this area, and this is the car, registration, and people looks like.
Police refused to make report for me. After three days, anybody look like, look like, anybody know.
Anyone know what happened in Sydney? They have a shooting in [removed] street, next to my house, two people have been killed.
I was this time, taking my son from work home. This my street, I driving my car, I see people in the middle of my street, I have threat three days before, I was believe these people going to shoot me.
I’ve been stabbed before. My wife with me. And I said this maybe gonna be shooting, it’s gonna be serious.
I told my son to lie down and this wasn’t happening too me.
Two people in the street been killed.
I picked up the phone, I called the police. You know what happened, the police arrest me.
I say why you arresting me? No idea. They keep me at the station eight hours.
When my lawyer asking why Mr Habib there? They say, he refused to identify himself.
The police officier tell me “Mr Habib, what Habib what you doing here?”
If it one officer or two officer I can agree, but it twenty five officer no one of this officer know Habib?
My car was there, the registration number, the car under my name, the police not check up the registration number?
And the Alexander Downer said, Mr Habib is under surveillance.
Where are these people following me when they see murder? When I ask the police officers, you see Alexander Downer, John Howard he said, Mr Habib under surveillance. Where these people they see the crime? They say no, they do their own job, so if they see two people get killed, they not interested?! They interested to see what I’m doing, they not interested the public? They interested only with Mr Habib? That’s what happened.
Until today, I ask for my passport, they refuse. My father passed away, I can’t go and see, my mother very ill, I can’t go and see.
Now this is see justice, this is the right. Anybody if they say Australia equal, now they keep my passport away from me.
Phillip Ruddock, his daughter, I was seeing in the news here, she was going with this guy, they say he’s a mossad or whatever, taking from the newspaper. They doesn’t take her passport from her. Why? Why she’s free, why I am under surveillance, and they take my passport away.
And they send me letter, they tell why you want your passport, and give us, the letter is seven of July, and the answer has to be on the seven of July.
The letter with me. How I gonna answer?
And this is they say, justice, and war on terror? I’m a terrorist, I’m a criminal.
I want to understand where we are. We came to this country because this is Australia, it’s a peaceful country. There’s no harm. But they harm us. If we say no, we are a terrorist or a criminal.
It’s a good reason, they happy with what happened in September 11. I’m telling you, when interrogate people the camp “we are very happy for September 11”, because [unintelligible, due to camera movement]
They already control the world, September 11, terrorist, everything become. They are attacking people and saying you a terrorist. The soon you lift up your hand to defend yourself, oh you are a terrorist, arrested.
What about us. Four years of my life, under torture. Government just completely liars, doesn’t want to give you any rights. My mother dieing, I can’t go and see her, my father passed away, I can’t even go and see…
Where is this rights, where is the justice? Four years, what Australia want from me? What I did, I not against anybody, tell me what’s my crime?
America said, there is a terrorist, George Bush said Habib is a terrorist, the court case here is made. The judge say we drop the case. They drop the case let right hand of Osama bin Laden go? Thank you very much. What Australia worry about? George Bush said I have nothing on Habib. What Australia have against me?
What Australia have against me? Why are they treat me like this? Why you keep doing this to me and my family, four kids, haven’t done anything wrong. Why you try to destroy whole family for. And they say we look after our citizens.
That’s what it is, that’s the war on terror, and that’s where we are, and that’s where you are also. And I’m here for today, and I go everywhere, I don’t care what they gonna do to me. What I been through I been through, they not going to get me more than what I am.
The best way, I told em, you wanna get rid of me just get bullet and make sure you go my head, and get rid of me. Nothing else, I not going to keep quite. Never. What I been through not gonna make me quite. Never.
But what I’m telling you, what happened to me can happen to you. Don’t think you are Australian, like David Hicks believed… its can happen to you. Maybe by mistake, mix of names, I’m telling you lotta people, mix of names, they take you place you never know. And you never have idea about it. Airport similar to other ones.
You got a lot of this, six people in Cuba, same names, and they try to identify each other. Until today, they still there, cause different names, and the names mix.
You can ask Amnesty International they tell you what about mix of names. Lot of people.
You think you are safe you know, if your name is John, maybe they say, oh this John or whatever, they take you away [unintelligible due to low sound quality]
What I’m here to tell you, if you no stood up for the other people, you’re not gonna find anybody to stood up for you.
People here today listen to me, and I not make you to listen to feel sorry for me, what happened to me has happened, I tell you to feel sorry for the other people, to feel sorry for yourself. Because you are the one who pay the price, if not you your son, if not your son, maybe your wife, maybe your daughter, you don’t know.
We are all same, don’t think because you’re name john, you’re not Muslim, you’re not Habib. No.
You have a lot of people, you have a Henry, used to work for CIA, he’s in Egypt, poor him, he’s still there. I left them behind, I feel sorry for them. There was more torture.
Now if you stood up, and you know what’s coming up, and you understand where you are, well, you…. [very quite, unintelligable].
Well, that’s all I have, and thankyou very much.
[clapping]
[A Q&A session followed this, for which I have no record]
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