Abstract:
On 14 October 2016, the Kurdish-Australian journalist Renas Lelikan was freed on bail after spending three months on remand in NSW prisons, where he was repeatedly threatened with death by supporters of ISIS. Mr Lelikan is charged with membership of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which was listed as a terrorist organisation by the Howard government in 2005. His bail conditions include a $1.5 million surety, posted by the Kurdish community, and a dusk-to-dawn curfew. His case raises disturbing questions about Australian foreign policy and in particular Australian popular and official attitudes towards the Turkish state. This article examines some of the salient features of that relationship – including the legacy of Gallipoli – and how they impact on the Kurdish question. Both the Crown prosecution and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) admit that Mr Lelikan poses no threat to the Australian public. Why is he being pursued?
Details / PDF:
The full-text PDF of this article can be downloaded from Informit. You can purchase the article, or access Informit for free via a public library account, such as the State Library of Victoria.