Indefinite Imprisonment For Web Site Content

Suriken writes "In an unprecedented move, the New Zealand Solicitor General is seeking an indefinite prison sentence against American businessman Vince Siemer for alleged breach of an interim gag order now more than three years old. Siemer was jailed for six weeks last year for refusing to take down a Web site accusing the chairman of an energy company of suspect business practices. Because he still refuses to take down the site, NZ Solicitor-General David Collins QC wants to lock up Siemer indefinitely, merely for asserting his own free speech. From the article: 'Siemer's [defense] claims the Solicitor General's action is barred by double jeopardy. He also maintains he had long ago proven in Court that the injunction was incorrect in fact and law but that the judge simply ignored the law and evidence. He says the gag order violates his freedom of expression guarantees in these circumstances.' Here's more coverage from an NZ television station."

Re:Standard sentence for contempt of court

[j1mmy]

Great idea! Guys on death row should *definitely* wait until after being executed to appeal the sentence.

Ummm

[EmbeddedJanitor]

He's dead.

Kiwis are Un-American!

[IntelliTubbie]

Geez, what's the matter with New Zealand? If they bothered to read the First, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, they'd know that this sort of thing is illegal. I thought this was America, but it's almost like these people live in some other country.

Cheers,
IT

Re:Standard sentence for contempt of court

[Khaed]

Man, I hope you don't live somewhere with the death sentence for contempt of court...

We should help this guy!

[francisstp]

Seriously, his website has got to be one of the ugliest around, even by 1996 standards.

Re:Free speech.

[HJED]

However, NZ is not yet a state of Australia, so I'm not sure why it's come up :)

I belive the oprative work in that sentance in not yet

Re:Standard sentence for contempt of court

[totally bogus dude]

Maybe so, but Captain New Zealand says: Do what the judge orders you to do, you idiot.

Re:Free speech.

[Admiral Ag]

The impossibility of New Zealand joining is mentioned by every New Zealander.

Re:Kiwis are Un-American!

[Doh!]

New Zealand isn't part of the U.S., dumbass. It's part of Australia. I swear, they don't teach kids here in America anything these days...

Re:Free speech.

[stop bothering me]

It probably came up in the same way that we get confused between the US and Canada.

Re:Unfortunately

[jd]

That should be lawyer, but given his comments in court, I refuse to declare it a typo.

Re:Free speech.

[Scannerman]

Not strictly true. I have met a few New Zealanders who are reasonably sympathetic to the the idea of the West Island(s) joining, as long as they are governed from Wellington

Re:Free speech.

[settantta]

Of course, what most commenters are missing is that there is a difference between Australia and New Zealand. The incident is in New Zealand, not Australia, so it is possible that their defamation law is different. Their thinking might be a bit wooly though :p) (The Aussies will get that one).

Re:Free speech.

[shimmyshimpson]

Well, it's really a fait acompli anyway as half of NZ already reside at Manly. We put up with the silly "anti-oz" rantings that come from some of the kiwis, while kindly allowing huge numbers of them to flee their grim homeland and live here. Of course, it goes without saying that the only people heading the other way are some bored tourists off to NZ to look at the boiling mud....and the sheep. Every time you turn around in a large Oz city you see hordes of Nz'rs bouncing in pubs, or employed as furniture movers, and lots of lots of "Ah Bro?" going on.

Re:Free speech.

[Walkingshark]

How did you know I was a member of Al Quaeda?! I bet that bastard Muhammed in accounting talked, right?

Re:Kiwis are Un-American!

[Anonymous Coward]

New Zealand isn't part of the U.S., dumbass. It's part of Australia...

(Kirk) "And a double dumbass on you!"

Yes, but Australia is part of the U.S., so if N.Z. is part of Australia... Oh, draw yourself a Venn diagram.

Re:Free speech.

[Dracophile]

Their thinking might be a bit wooly though :p)

Ugg! That was baad.