Stop deaths in custody - justice for Mr Ward

By Amnesty International

The untimely and preventable death in 2008 of Warburton community leader, Mr Ward, is emblematic of the deep running discrimination against and disregard for the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Many of us are already familiar with the circumstances of Mr Ward's death. Mr Ward was arrested for allegedly drink-driving on Australia Day 2008. The next day, after being refused bail, he was put in the rear pod of a prisoner transport van and driven 360kms to Kalgoorlie.

The two guards in charge drove non-stop for four hours through the hottest part of the day. There was no air-conditioning in the rear pod of the van and the guards did not once check on Mr Ward's welfare.

Inside the metal pod, the temperature reached up to 50.4°C and the metal floor peaked at up to 56.6°C. Mr Ward died of heatstroke and suffered a serious burn from his skin touching the metal surface. His body temperature was 41.7°C when he reached Kalgoorlie Hospital. Despite the efforts of hospital staff, they were unable to revive him.

The circumstances of Mr Ward's death, as reported by the Coroner, breach Australia's international human rights obligations to prohibit torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The Coroner's report, which was handed down on 12 June 2009, found that the state of Western Australia, the company responsible for transporting Mr Ward - GSL (now named G4S) - and two GSL employees on the day, all contributed to Mr Ward's death.

Amnesty International is urging the Federal Government to take immediate steps to meet the 14 recommendations from the Coronial inquest, to fully implement all the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and to hold to account all those responsible for the human rights violations leading to Mr Ward's death.

Take action now
Send a letter to the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, by clicking on the ACT NOW button on the right-hand side of http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/21496/?&utm_medium=email&utm_sou....

Personalised letters are always more effective, so rewrite the letter and subject line in your own words if you have time.

You can also send your letter to:
The Hon. Robert McClelland MP
Attorney-General
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600