Summarised by Centrist
The Free Speech Union has slammed a court’s decision to grant permanent name suppression to a wealthy criminal convicted of importing and possessing objectionable material, calling it “an affront to everyone outside the elite groups permitted to know the truth.”
Chair Stephen Franks said the ruling erodes public confidence in equality before the law.
“The Free Speech Union has always opposed name suppression because it is censorship,” he said. “Censorship powers are always eventually abused by the insiders and elites who like knowing things the masses don’t.”
He added that the suppression was ultimately ineffective, pointing to a case this week where artificial intelligence wrongly identified an innocent person as the offender. “Understandably, he is distressed by this and wants the record corrected,” Franks said.
The case has fuelled public speculation, with critics arguing that name suppression often protects those with wealth or political connections, while ordinary New Zealanders face full public scrutiny. “Whether justifiable or not, this secrecy is perceived as evidence of a two-tier system,” said Franks.
“It is feeding expectations that our freedom of speech will be restored only by growing civil disobedience such as contempt of the court orders,” Franks warned.
“Judges show they do not trust the public. When the courts keep criminals’ names hidden, the media cannot do their job. The public’s freedom to discuss matters of real concern is undermined.”
