JURIST - Paper Chase: Australia government appeals Haneef visa reinstatement

[JURIST] An Australian government solicitor Wednesday filed an appeal [case summary] contesting last month's Federal Court of Australia decision [text; JURIST report] to reinstate the work visa of Dr. Mohammad Haneef [JURIST news archive], who was detained by Australian authorities in July in connection with July's attempted UK car bomb terror attacks [JURIST report]. Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Kevin Andrews revoked Haneef's work visa and placed him under "immigration detention" shortly after he was granted bail by a magistrate, and later said that he had revoked the instrument on "character test" grounds under the Migration Act [text]. Haneef's visa was reinstated in full by the court, but Andrews maintains that his decision to cancel it was in the "national interest" and that the court's ruling was a misinterpretation of the Act. Wednesday's appeal was filed in the Federal Court in Brisbane, and if unsuccessful Andrews said the government is prepared to appeal to the High Court of Australia [official website]. AFP has more.

Haneef, who has not been implicated by UK authorities in the attacks, was detained as a terror suspect for 25 days for allegedly providing reckless material support to the suspected terrorists. The terror charge against him was dropped [JURIST reports] after the Australian director of public prosecutions reviewed the case and concluded that there was insufficient evidence [press release]. Haneef has since been allowed to return to India, but the Australian Federal Police said in August that he is still considered a suspect [JURIST report]. He has said that he wants to return to work as a doctor at the Gold Coast Hospital in Queensland, Australia.

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