Witness J

Witness J, also known by the pseudonyms Alan Johns[1] and Prisoner 123458,[2] was a former Australian intelligence officer who was subject to a secret trial and secret imprisonment for breaching Australian national security laws in 2018.[2] His case came to light following an Australian Federal Police raid of his jail cell seeking a memoir that he had previously received official permission to write about his experiences, which led to him bringing a claim for breach of his human rights.[2][3]

The case sparked debate in the media about the unprecedented secrecy of the proceedings and its violation of the open justice principle underpinning Australia's legal system.[1][4] The Australian Capital Territory's Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury was unaware of the secret prisoner until learning about him through the media, even though Prisoner J had been held in the Territory's Alexander Maconochie Centre over which Rattenbury had ministerial oversight.[4][5] The use of a wholly closed criminal trial in the matter was described as "unprecedented" by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, with the possible exception of trials during World War I or World War II.[5]

See also

References
  1. Knaus, Christopher (19 November 2019). "Author who tried to help mystery prisoner publish memoir hits out at secret trials". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. Probyn, Andrew (5 December 2019). "Inside the secret trial that led to a secret prisoner being locked away". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. Knaus, Christopher (19 November 2019). "Mystery prisoner held in Canberra jail after secret conviction was raided by AFP over memoir". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. Knaus, Christopher (22 November 2019). "ACT justice minister says even he was kept in dark over secret prisoner". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  5. Lawson, Kirsten (4 March 2020). "Witness J case unprecedented, says national security watchdog". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
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