Critical Times

Four Christian peace activists who broke into America’s Pine Gap Spy Base near Alice Springs last year will stand trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court on October 3, 2006.

Jim Dowling (Dayboro), Adele Goldie (Brisbane), Bryan Law (Cairns) and Donna Mulhearn (Sydney), face charges under the Commonwealth Crimes Act and the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952.

The four, who are part of a group called Christians Against All Terrorism (CAAT), will be tried together and will plead not guilty.

It will be the first time the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act has been used since it was enacted in 1952 at the height of the Cold War. It carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for trespass.

The consent of the Attorney-General is required before the prosecution can proceed under the act. In a political and legal first, Phillip Ruddock made the decision to prosecute in April this year, blurring the separation of political and judicial powers in Australia.

CAAT member Donna Mulhearn said the group entered Pine Gap on December 9, 2005, to do a ‘citizen’s inspection’ for suspected terrorist activity because of its role in providing targetting information for US missiles that have killed innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We believe that killing children with a bomb dropped from a plane is as much an act of terrorism as doing it with a suicide bomb,” she said. “We are opposed to all forms of terrorism.

“If we condemn suicide bombings, it would be natural for us to condemn military bombing, if we are to maintain any intellectual and moral honesty on the issue of terrorism.

“Our aim is to expose the truth about Pine Gap, and its connection to the killing of civilians.

“We could not allow the US and Australian governments to continue to conceal the role of Pine Gap in the ongoing war in Iraq.

“It’s time the Australian public knew the reality of what is happening on Australian land”.

Despite informing the Defence Minister, widely publicising their intention to enter the base and the posting of extra police; two members of the group managed to breach security to enter the base, climb on the roof of a building and hang banners and take photos before being found.

An hour later, in broad daylight two other group members walked through the outer restricted area right up to the high security fence and one member started cutting through it before being stopped by security.

The break-in forced a shut down of the base for about five hours.

Ms Mulhearn said the incident has raised questions in the Australian community about Pine Gap’s secrecy and renewed interest in its significant role in the US war machine.

“In the words of Michael McKinley, strategic analyst at the ANU Canberra: “certainly in relation to identifying specific targets, Pine Gap is important. The Pine Gap contribution (to the Iraq war) is much more significant than any sending of Australian soldiers.”

The Pine Gap 4 will use the defence of necessity to fight the charges in court.

“We’ll be arguing that the situation in Iraq is so dire that, as reasonable citizens of conscience, we are compelled to take action to address it,” Ms Mulhearn said.

“We believe that the Nuremberg Principles, along with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ought inform any assessment of the Iraq emergency and its dire consequences.

“We’ll be arguing that the kind of nonviolent interventionary action we took, as part of a wider peace movement, is an appropriate form of action for citizens to take in addressing unjust and aggressive war. In particular we’ll argue that the open and respectful nature of our action renders it “reasonable” and “proportionate” in the face of the military/terrorist threat.

“Australia is a resolute ally of the US in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, making us complicit in the war crimes subsequently committed by the US in Iraq.

“Our action has obviously been effective because of the heavy-handed response by government in using a “big gun” piece of legislation – designed during the cold war for spies and saboteurs – against us.”

A National Peace Convergence will be held in Alice Springs during the trial which will attract activists from around Australia for a week of action and solidarity.

For further information: Donna Mulhearn 0422 749319