4 posts tagged “poland”

Good news, from the Robinson family on my answerphone: Bruce Robinson was granted bail 5.30 p.m. Polish time. For all those who sent their prayers or signed the petition, thank you. He’s not out yet: the prosecutor can still appeal and had originally expected to be able to keep Bruce in jail till June, so confident he was of his situation. However, it seems a fair judge may have heard the pleas for bail.
   Despite our government’s inaction, hold your breath for the Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet taking credit for all our hard work. Now we have to make sure he gets a fair trial, so I’ll still be active on it.

[Cross-posted] Bruce Robinson, the New Zealander in a 15 m² Polish jail cell, with seven other blokes, who is allegedly being ignored by the Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet and other members of the diplomatic mission in Poland, now has a petition set up for his cause.
   As reported on this blog, both the Minister and now, the Prime Minister, have said they will not interfere in Poland’s sovereign processes.
   This is ironic, since both politicians are quite happy to interfere when the targets are easier.
   Contrary to the Dominion Post report today, the petition was set up by Bruce’s sister, Lyn. And yes, I do have the inside line on this case now, and have done for some time, with the Robinson family’s blessing.
   But at least the Fairfax press has not repeated a one-sided story from the Foreign Minister, who initially accused TV One of being unfair to him when Rawdon Christie first uncovered the story, and The New Zealand Herald willingly obliged with republication.
   I hate it how this guy always plays the victim, just to cover the fact he cannot do his job.
   But let’s not split hairs. It’s important word gets out and we sign this petition and get the government to act. We are paying taxes and I am wondering why the hell we need to, if we do not go to bat for our own.
   Even the Aussies have gone to bat for David Hicks, the alleged terrorist held at Gitmo. Both John Howard and Alexander Downer have seen Bush, Condi, Rumsfeld and Gates and Alberto Gonzales for this one guy. All Bruce is guilty of is patriotism and travelling on his New Zealand passport.
   Sign here, even if you are not in New Zealand.

The Fairfax press has an update on Bruce Robinson from early this month:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/3916020a12.html

   Among the quotes:

… A spokeswoman from the Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that his visiting rights had been extended to include friends as well as family. 
   His parents, David and Carol Robinson, last visited him in October, but refused to talk about the case, which the ministry and New Zealand's embassy in Warsaw were working to resolve. …
   Mr Robinson was being represented by company lawyers from Expomedia.

   I suppose that is something, and I certainly don’t want to speak ill of the diplomatic mission, whom I am sure is doing all it can. However, such a high-profile case deserves high-profile intervention, which it has hitherto lacked from our Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet.
   Expomedia is the British company that Bruce Robinson worked for.

When I think about the case of Bruce Robinson, the New Zealander in jail in Poland, I contrast it to the case of Australian David Hicks.
   Why hold a New Zealand passport at all, if your Foreign Minister doesn’t measure up to his Australian counterpart’s efforts when you are chucked into prison?
   Whether Downer has been effective is one thing, but note: he has been talking to the President, to Condi, to Alberto, and to Bob Gates (and presumably Don Rumsfeld). Now, I’ll be impressed if our Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet has talked to the same parties in Poland.
   Cripes, I might travel on my Pommy passport next time.