Minister Stephen Smith blamed for mother's ordeal | The Australian

as was posted here ... Minister Stephen Smith blamed for mother's ordeal | The Australian

LAWYERS for Shyloh Giddins, the Sydney woman detained by Yemeni security officials, have lashed out at the Australian government, saying it was the cancellation of her passport that triggered her arrest.

Abdul Rahman Barman, Ms Giddins's Yemeni lawyer, said he expected his client to be deported from Yemen today.

But, speaking through an interpreter, Mr Barman blamed the Rudd government for her month-long ordeal, saying it was the decision by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to cancel her passport that brought her to the attention of Yemeni authorities.

Mr Barman said Ms Giddins's interrogators had focused almost exclusively on the reason behind the cancellation rather than her local links or activities.

"The key questions during the investigation were all about her passport cancellation, why they cancelled her passport," he said.

Ms Giddins's passport was cancelled in April by Mr Smith following a request by ASIO, who judged her a threat to security. ASIO cited her "extremist" interpretation of Islam as one reason.


RELATED COVERAGE
Aussie woman deported from Yemen
Adelaide Now, 2 days ago
Detained Aussie to be sent home
The Australian, 3 days ago
US missile 'killed Yemen civilians'
Adelaide Now, 3 days ago
Aussie held in Yemen an 'extremist'
The Australian, 7 days ago
Kids home alone after mum detained
Herald Sun, 7 days ago

A month after the cancellation, Ms Giddins was arrested by security officials in Yemen while her children remained under house arrest in the care of her flatmate.

Mr Barman said officials from Yemen's Political Security Organisation shouted at him and an Australian consular official when they attempted to visit the children.

"(They) refused to let us hand over the food and the books for the children to the children," he said.

"They said that it is an order from the head of the PSO not to allow anybody to see the children."

Ms Giddins is a Muslim convert who has lived in Yemen since 2006.

She is due to be flown to Sydney after Mr Smith personally phoned Yemen's Foreign Minister and requested she be repatriated along with her children.

Mr Barman said his client would not have been arrested if Mr Smith had not cancelled her passport.

A spokeswoman for Mr Smith said the government did not comment on operational matters.