Sydney mum is a national security risk

as posted here ... Sydney mum is a national security risk

A SYDNEY woman jailed by intelligence services in Yemen three weeks ago had her passport cancelled eight weeks ago for national security reasons.

The actions of the Australian and Yemeni governments have left a lawyer for the woman, Shyloh Jayne Giddins, questioning whether Australia provided information to Yemen about Ms Giddins, and if that may have led to her detention.

Ms Giddins, who has lived with her children Amina, 4, and Omar, 7, in Yemen since 2006, was interviewed by Yemen's feared National Security Bureau on May 14 and then arrested on May 16 in the capital, Sana'a. Since then her children have remained under house arrest.

A consular official from the Australian embassy in Riyadh visited Ms Giddins in jail on Tuesday, but Yemeni authorities have continually refused to say what charges Ms Giddins may face or how long she will be detained.

Early yesterday the federal police said they did not have a relationship - known as a memorandum of understanding - with Yemeni police or intelligence services.

However late last night they revised that, and provided a statement which suggested they did.

''The AFP through its international networks engage with various overseas policing partners in relation to international criminal and law-enforcement matters.

It was revealed during a Senate estimates hearing yesterday that Ms Giddins's passport was cancelled for ''national security reasons'' on April 10 at the request of the head of ASIO, David Irvine. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, refused to say what those reasons were or whether Australia had provided information to Yemen..

Ms Giddins's Australian lawyer, Stephen Hopper was less guarded.

"It seems highly suspicious that the Australian government some eight weeks ago Ms Giddins's passport and then three weeks after that Yemeni security have decided to arrest and detain her," he said.