Free Lex Wotton!

Free Lex Wotton - Political Prisoner

2008-11-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Download fact sheet here

Lex Wotton, an Indigenous community leader from Palm Island was found guilty on October 24 of “rioting with destruction” by an all-white jury in Brisbane’s District Court. Wotton was singled out for his participation in the protest on Palm Island that took place following the death in custody on November 19, 2004, of Mulrunji Doomadgee, a 36-year-old Palm Island man, at the hands of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley. Despite admitting responsibility for the death, Hurley was subsequently acquitted of manslaughter by an all-white jury in Townville 2007.

QLD “Justice”: it’s a black and white issue
November 26, 2004: An uprising takes place on Palm Island after a community meeting at which the autopsy report into Mulrunji’s death was read out. The report found that the massive injuries, including four broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, a torn portal vein and his liver being cleaved in two were as a result of an “accident”. Following the protest, an illegal state of emergency is imposed and the anti-terrorism squad sent to the island. The squad spent the night illegally detaining those suspected of involvement in the protests, smashing into homes, carrying out illegal searches, brutalising and bashing residents, including attacking them with Taser guns and police dogs. There were reports of police pointing rifles at children. Police told residents that they could kill them and no-one would know what had happened.

Injury to Aboriginal people involved in the case:

Mulrunji Doomadgee was illegally arrested by Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley. Within minutes he was dead. Hurley has admitted being responsible for the death.
Three days before the August 2006 resumption of the inquest into Mulrunji’s death, his only son, Eric, hanged himself on Palm Island.
The man who lay in the cell next to Mulrunji and comforted him as he died, Patrick Bramwell, also took his own life - the day before officials arrived on the island to review the decision of the Queensland Department of Public Prosecution not to charge Chris Hurley over the death in custody.
In the course of his arrest by over 50 heavily armed police clad in balaclavas, Lex Wotton was tasered in front of his children.
On May 19 2004 (precisely six months before the killing of Mulrunji) Hurley ran over an Aboriginal woman in a police vehicle. Barbara Pilot suffered a compound fracture to her leg. After running over the woman, Hurley declined to stop to render first aid.
In September 2004, Douglas Clay was also assaulted by Hurley in the Palm Island police station and suffered cuts and abrasions.

Injury to police involved in the case:

One officer was hit in the hip with a rock on November 26 2004. He suffered bruising. A second officer was reportedly hit in the chest or stomach with a rock. It’s unclear if he also sustained bruising.

“Justice” for the cops
After a massive public campaign, Chris Hurley was charged with manslaughter. He was tried by a jury of his peers - an all-white jury, overseen by a white judge. Hurley got off. Police who lost property in the fires on November 26 2004 have been financially compensated. Darren Robinson, the cop who repeatedly lied, both to his superiors and in court, to protect Hurley, has been promoted to the rank of Detective Sergeant. The Queensland Police Service presented bravery medals to the police present on the island on the day of the uprising. Robinson was one of them. Chris Hurley has been paid $100,000 in compensation from the Queensland Government for losses he claims he incurred during the uprising. Hurley took an eight-month break from the police service, on full pay, while awaiting his manslaughter trial. He has since returned to the job on the Gold Coast, and been promoted to the rank of Inspector.

“Justice” for Aboriginal people
Lex Wotton was not tried by a jury of his peers, rather he was also tried by an all-white jury, overseen by a white judge on a charge of “rioting with destruction”. There was substantial evidence presented at his trial, mostly by police, that Wotton ordered people to stop throwing rocks at officers and secured transport (later refused) to get police off the island safely. Today, Lex Wotton is facing a life sentence.

Stop Aboriginal deaths in custody! Jail cops who kill!
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody ran from 1987 until 1991 and investigated 99 deaths in custody between 1980 and 1989. However, not a single police or jail officer was charged. The commission made 339 recommendations, half of which aimed at keeping Aboriginal people out of jail, with the emphasis being on prison as a last resort. Seventeen years later, those recommendations are still not being implemented. Since the royal commission, there has been an increase in Aboriginal people dying in custody. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, there were 14 Indigenous deaths in custody in 2004; 15 in 2005 and 10 in 2006. In 2006, Indigenous Australians accounted for 30% of all deaths in police custody. These rates are higher than in South Africa at the peak of the apartheid regime’s brutality. The murder of Mulrunji was the 147th Aboriginal death in custody since the royal commission. Most of these deaths were hidden from the general public. The protest that took place on Palm Island, which involved at least 400 people (at least 10% of the population of the island), was instrumental in bringing the murder to public attention.

Upcoming events:

2008-11-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

Picket outside the Supreme Court on the day Lex Wotton is Sentenced

9.30am Friday 7th November

Supreme Court, Cnr George & Ann Sts, City

Lex's partner Cecilia has requested an International Day of Solidarity for Lex on the day he will be sentenced by the courts.

Commemoration of Mulrunji Doomadgee's Death in Custody

5pm Wednesday 19th November

Outside Roma St Police Headquarters

Presenting QLD Police the award for 'Racist Thuggery'. Protest Aboriginal deaths in custody, demand justice for Palm Island.

Bring placards and banners.

Fundraising Gig for Lex Wotton

Local Indigenous bands and performers

Friday 12th December

Venue: TBA

Rally for International Human Rights Day
Aboriginal rights are human rights
Free Lex Wotton! Stop black deaths in custody! End the NT intervention! Land rights not leases!
Saturday Dec 13, 2pm, Queen's Park, cnr George & Elizabeth Sts, city
Download fl yer here

Join Facebook group

2008-11-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

Join the Facebook group called 'Free Lex Wotton NOW'

Useful links

2008-11-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

Video: Lex speaking in Melbourne before the trial

National Indigenous Times: A Timeline of the Palm Island Case

Gary Foley's Collection of Articles relating to Palm Island

Free Lex Wotton petition

2008-11-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Download petition here

To: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland

The petition of the citizens of Queensland draws to the attention of the House the conviction of Lex Patrick Wotton on charges relating to the Palm Island riot on the 26th day of November, 2004.

The petitioners believe that Lex Patrick Wotton is innocent and that he should not have been charged with the offences that he has now been convicted of.

Your petitioners therefore request the House to provide immediate public funding for Lex Patrick Wotton to enable him to lodge an appeal of this verdict.

Your petitioners further request that the House implement an immediate Royal Commission into the Death In Custody of Mulrunjie Doomadgee in the Palm Island watch-house on the 19th of November, 2004 and all matters of interest that led to his death and the subsequent events.

Your petitioners further request that all Aboriginal people who were convicted of offences relating to the Palm Island riot, should be immediately pardoned for those offences.

Principal Petitioner:

Sam Watson
106 Norton Street,
Upper Mt.Gravatt.
Qld. 4122.

Donate to the campaign

2008-11-02T06:47:00.001-08:00

Aboriginal Rights Coalition

bsb: 804 083

account: 503300

Please include the description 'Lex' with any deposit made for our records.

*Note if you are transferring money online you will need to include the three letter account abbreviation: MEL

Message of support for Lex

2008-11-02T06:46:00.001-08:00

Lex's family have requested that messages of solidarity be sent to freelexwotton@gmail.com so that they can be passed on to Lex.

Free Lex Wotton stickers

2008-10-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

To print onto sticky labels:

Download here