MANA Leader Hone Harawira, President Annette Sykes, Vice President John Minto and MANA Member Sue Bradford

Release the 88 Names and Apologise

Wednesday 10th April 2013

Today MANA calls on the Government to release the names of the 88 New Zealand citizens that have been illegally spied upon by the GCSB and for those people to be apologised to by the Prime Minister. 85 cases involve collaboration with the SIS and the other three cases involved the New Zealand Police.

“Annette, John, Sue and I have all been spied upon by the SIS and I wouldn’t mind betting that one or all us are amongst the 88 people the GCSB have taken the liberty to spy upon” says MANA Party Leader Hone Harawira. “The big question I want answered in this massive civil liberties cock-up is ‘Did Helen Clark or John Key know who was being spied on?’ If they did, and it ends up they took a look at what we were up to, then it amounts to political interference of the worst kind” says Harawira.

“My lawful protest actions have been under scrutiny since the 81 Tour” says MANA Vice President John Minto. “Big brother has always been looking over my shoulder and if they have continued to do so while I hold an official position within an opposition party, then not only have people’s civil rights been trampled on but it also calls into question surveillance of the state against a political opponent. It smacks of overseas political regimes that have used the state to spy on their adversaries. This state agency with the broadest power over citizens has the least accountability of any. It’s been out of control and with no effective oversight for decades. The latest revelations read like a chapter from George Orwell’s 1984. It should be of grave concern to us all” comments Minto.

MANA President Annette Sykes has received a letter from the SIS that stated that because she is still deemed a security risk, then they are unable to release the file they have on her. She says “The spooks have always spied on Maori activists, high profile protestors and people who speak out against free trade. Our right to protest has always been deemed a risk to the security of our own country. In the post 9-11 era, successive Governments have believed that they can do whatever they want to their own citizens who they are supposed to protect”.

2011 MANA candidate Sue Bradford states “In 2009 I received my heavily deleted SIS file. They had been keeping tabs on me since the age of 15 and they labelled left activist groups I was involved with as subversive organisations. I want to know if the GCSB considers MANA a dangerous and subversive organisation; John Key probably thinks so”.

Harawira warns that the illegal spying could have international implications for New Zealand. “If it eventuates that any one of us have been spied on by the GCSB, then little old NZ can kiss goodbye being one of the least corrupt countries in the world. The implications of any admission are huge; John Key and his schoolmate Ian Fletcher need to come clean” states Harawira. Minto would also like to see the Prime Minister issue an apology. “Prime Minister John Key made a public apology to Kim Dotcom for illegal spying that the GCSB had conducted upon him. He should make the same personal apology to each of the 88 New Zealanders the GCSB similarly spied on.”

ENDS

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