Attorney General treatens to jail film makers
Hussain Saleh Hussain Alsamamara is a Jordanian man living with his family in the UK but under dehumanising immigration bail conditions set by the Special Immigration Appeals Tribunal (SIAC). In practical effect, these bail conditions also impose degrading living conditions on his whole family.
On 16 June 2010, BBC Newsnight aired a short film featuring Hussain that focused on everyday life under SIAC bail conditions. The film displeased SIAC and Hussain was summoned to court two days later to face potentially more severe bail conditions or even a return to a “real” prison. In the end the SIAC judge, Mr John Mitting gave Hussain a verbal warning and left his bail conditions unchanged, but he also asked the Attorney General to pursue the film makers.
For having the temerity of providing the public a glimpse of the kind of degradation the government and SIAC would prefer remained as secret as the secret evidence uses against Hussain, Attorney General Dominic Grieve is now looking to see how he might punish Fat Rat Film makers, Fred Grace and Gemma Atkinson.
To spare a government an embrassment or to shield a potentially criminal behaviour, the threat of fine or imprisonment against the members of the UK media in general, but in particular against campaigning independent journalists and film makers has a long and ignominious history.
While Fred Grace and Gemma Atkinson await the next moves from Attorney General, Fat Rat Films has made the following statement:
The fact that we have been threatened with prosecution for telling the story of a man who has never been charged, tried or convicted is shocking. Hussain Al Sammamara wanted to tell his story and we, as documentary filmmakers had the means to tell it. If we hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been doing our jobs. The film was made to bring the issue to a wider audience, to engage with them and to spark debate on the question of whether we should have detention without trial in 21st century Britain.
The film showed how Hussain and his family have suffered and continue to suffer over the last four years, putting a human face on what is often reported in an impersonal manner.
It is not controversial to say that the previous government has rolled back many hard won civil liberties and human rights. The new coalition government has the opportunity and what looks like the will to reinstate these basic rights. We hope very much that they take on board and act on the recommendations that Liberty have made today.
No matter what anyone thinks of Hussain and his situation, he should be allowed to voice his concerns in the public domain. Everyone has the right to tell their story; everyone has the right to freedom of speech.
As intimidating and frustrating as our position is, Hussain has had a much greater threat hanging over him for the last four years. Our wish is that he and his family are released from the horror of indefinite detention without trial or charge as soon as possible.
Responding to the new coalition government’s review of anti-terror laws, Liberty at it’s press conference hightlighted the threat against Fred Grace and Gemma Atkinson as yet another timely example of the excessive and coercive use of current anti-terror laws.
