Shaw 'may die’ for stand

Press, 13 July 1989, Page 6

Shaw 'may die’ for stand

A Wellington man, Francis Shaw, may die in his fight for a Maori justice system, says a lawyer, Mr Moana Jackson. Shaw, who was on a hunger strike in Mount Crawford Prison, had a. “rare inner determination,’’ Shaw was entering his fifth week of the hunger strike, and was now refusing to take liquids. People who said it was "just another hunger strike” were underestttgating the "seriousness of

his purpose.” ' J ' • Shaw’s girlfriend bad a baby, and she was pregnant again, but he was still committed to his stance. Mr Jackson was asked by Shaw’s father, who was a descendant of the Same tribe as Mr Jackson, Ngati Kahungunu, to be an adviser oh the case. Shaw, aged 23, wanted his case to be heard on a marae. He has been charged with wounding with intent to bodily harm,

using a firearm to cause grievous bodily harm and discharging a firearm with reckless disregard for “the safety of others. Mr Jackson is a strong advocate of a separate criminal justice system for Maori accused. The idea ; has been rejected by the Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer. ’ ' Mr Jackson said the right for Maori people to monitor the conduct of their'ipwn was one which had to be addressed.