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From where I stand, it looks like those involved murdered Mr Ward as
effectively as if they had shot him dead, except far more brutally.
He would have stood a better chance of survival if they had strapped
him onto the roof of that van.
Its my view that to serve justice, manslaughter charges ought to be
brought by the state's Attorney General against those involved and the
case tried in a court of law.
The Coroner has handed down his findings, with just such a recommendation to the Director of Public Prosecutions:
WA Today: http://bit.ly/3rPJGK
Aboriginal Elder Mr Ward: another GSL Death in Custody http://bit.ly/IvkHo
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From: Sarah Marland, Amnesty International Australia
[mailto:actioncentre@amnesty.org.au]
Sent: Friday, 7 August 2009 1:05 PM
Subject: The shocking death of Mr Ward
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Forward to your friends
The shocking death of Mr Ward
© AAP/Aleisha Preedy
What kind of government allows a person to be literally cooked to
death in the searing heat of the Western Australian goldfields?
Well, that's exactly what happened on a scorching summer's day last
year when Mr Ward, a respected Aboriginal community elder, died an
unimaginable death as he was being unnecessarily and inhumanely
transported more than 350km to Kalgoorlie jail.
Send your email to Attorney-General Robert McClelland urging him to
prevent a recurrence of this human tragedy
The circumstances of Mr Ward's death defy the imagination. After being
arrested for allegedly drink-driving and locked in an overnight cell
in Laverton, WA, the elder was driven four hours to Kalgoorlie in a
van since deemed unfit for the purpose of transporting people over
such long distances [1]
Please join us in calling on State and Federal governments to ensure
such a situation never occurs anywhere in Australia again
Mr Ward, the youngest of seven children, was a well-known and
respected community chairman, law-man, land manager and spokesperson.
The condition of the van that contributed to his death makes
stomach-churning reading: no natural airflow, broken air-conditioning,
and a surface metal temperature of over 50°C.
After collapsing on the floor of the van, Mr Ward suffered serious
burns when his skin came into contact with the metal surface. Leading
up to the final moments of his life, his body temperature reached
41.7°C. Without a doubt, Mr Ward's treatment is an affront to personal
dignity and emblematic of a deep running disregard for the rights of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We can never allow a fellow human being to die in this way again -
please call on our Government to honour Australia's human rights
obligations
Thank you for standing up for what's right.
Sarah Marland and the project team
Demand Dignity Campaign
Amnesty International Australia
Footnotes:
[1] Four Corners Program Transcript, ABCTV. Accessed 4.8.09. See the
full Four Corners program online.
Take action to ensure this never happens again
