"Don't misrepresent OUR truth."

Yet more twists in the Haneef saga. Yesterday, it seemed the police had some how managed to write incriminating data into Haneef's diary(1). Now it seems this wasn't the case at all. AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty stated that nothing was written into Haneef's diary:

"Police at no time made any notations or additions to Haneef's diary," he was quoted as saying in the media.

"As this matter is currently before the court, it is not appropriate for the AFP to elaborate in greater detail," Keelty said.

He said the episode highlighted the problem with releasing records of police interviews before they could be presented to a court - as Haneef's lawyers did last week.

"When misinterpreted or taken out of context - and in the absence of other material that will be placed before the court - this has the potential to undermine the court process," he said. (2)

It seems that the text in question wasn't actually written in the diary, but was a seperate piece of paper(3) and it has all been an innocent bungle by the AFP, mixing their own papers up with Haneef's.

What still rankles, though, is the hypocrisy of Keelty, warning us against the dangers of misrepresenting or misinterpreting information, which is exactly what the AFP did when they presented a misleading affidavit in court and to the immigration minister(4). The affidavit alleged, incorrectly, that Haneef had flatted with wannabe martyrs Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, and that he did not offer an explanation as to why he was leaving Australia on a one-way ticket. This is stinking hypocrisy by Keelty.

Next up? John Howard to lecture us on the immoral use of press scare stories to engineer election victories?

Meanwhile, the inevitable weasel suggestion was made that anyone protesting the treatment of Haneef might not be entirely patriotic, courtesy of Foreign Minister Alexander Downer:

"I do worry about the resolve that we have to confront and defeat terrorism," Mr Downer told the Nine Network.

"Every time there is somebody arrested and facing charges, there's some sort of controversy about 'oh the poor thing, he must be innocent, this is all being cooked up for some particular reason'. (5)

Downer needs to grow up. He sounds like he's the second-stringer on a poor school debating team. No-one has suggested that Kafeel Ahmed is a poor, innocent victim. The reason Haneef's case is controversial is because the charges laid against him were specious, even before it was revealled his Mobile SIM wasn't found at the scene of the Glasgow attack, several inconsistencies have been found in the police transcript of his interview, his visa has been cancelled possibly as a result of these inaccuracies, he has been treated like a terrorist with out any evidence of terrorist intent being shown and even if innocent he is likely to be deported. Impugning the loyalty or determination of those who don't agree with the government's vile treatment of Haneef is pathetic.

1 - "Another day, another blunder in Haneef case," by Hedley Thomas and Andrew Fraser in The Australian, July 23, 2007. (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22117624-5006786,00.html)
2- "Australian police denies writing notes in Haneef's diary," unattributed PTI story in The Hindu Times, 23rd July 2007. (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200707231421.htm)
3 - "AFP Rejects Haneef Claims," unattributed AAP article in The Age, July 23, 2007. (http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/afp-rejects-haneef-claims/2007/07/23/1185043027971.html?page=2)
4 - "Discrepancies in AFP's affidavit: Reports," unattributed PTI article in The Times of India, 20th July 2007. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Discrepancies_in_Australian_police_affidavit_Reports/articleshow/2219797.cms)
5 - "AFP rejects Haneef claims," unattributed AAP article in The Age, July 23, 2007. (http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/afp-rejects-haneef-claims/2007/07/23/1185043027971.html?page=2)