Immigration bill 'infringement of human rights'

Press, 12 October 1979, Page 3

Immigration bill 'infringement of human rights'

Wellington Human Rights Commission said yesterday that 1 e Immigration Amendment was “an infringement of human rights” and asked the Government to reconsider it. i The commission said some' provisions of the bill, at present awaiting its second reading before the House, violated existing rights of some immigrants already hving legally in New Zealand. The commission released a copy of a letter from the ; cnief Human Rights Commissioner (Mr P. J. Downey) to the Acting Prime Minister! (Mr Taiboys) which asserted that the bill removed an existing right, bestowed

upon an immigrant at the! time of entry’, by creating an. I offence for something legally; done in the past. ‘‘This is retrospective; legislation and an in-1 fringement of human- ' rights,” a covering statement [ 'said. I The letter said: “If the bill is passed in its' present form, its effect will be to make offenders of- . those people who committed no breach of this country’s' law at the time of their' entry into New Zealand andi who are lawfully in New Zealand territory. I “That such people arel lawfully in New Zealand ter-] ' ritory has, the commissionl .understands, been deter-| 'mined by the Supreme' Court.” Mr Downey quoted article; 13 of the International Cov-I

enant on Civil and Political] Rights which says: “An alien lawfully in the! I territory of a State party to ithe present covenant may be : expelled ... only in pur- ' suance of a decision reached 'in accordance with law . ..” ; He said that since there was an existing Supreme I I Court decision that people I already in the country! should not be subject to de-] portation, any measure to] (deport these people would! be a violation of Article 13. ( I “There may be other] grounds for objection to this' ' bill,” Mr Downey said, but, i the commission was particularly concerned with the! 'point defined in the letter. | The commission asked the I (government to reconsider: : the bill in view of its impli-! cations for human rights in'New Zealand.