Aboriginal teens illegally tear-gassed, court rules
Aboriginal teenagers were illegally tear-gassed in an Australian juvenile jail, a court ruled on Wednesday amid renewed public condemnation over police abuse of indigenous citizens in custody.
Four former inmates of the Don Dale youth detention centre brought legal action against the Northern Territory government after being tear-gassed while locked in their cells in 2014.
Prison officers used a CS fogger, classified as a prohibited weapon, in an enclosed space outside their cells to subdue another detainee who had escaped, exposing the boys to teargas.
They were reportedly aged between 15 and 17 at the time.
In a unanimous decision handed down on Wednesday, Australia’s High Court ruled the use of teargas was unlawful battery and the former detainees were entitled to compensation from the government.
Don Dale became infamous in 2016 when graphic footage showing conditions in the facility were broadcast, sparking public outrage and leading to a government inquiry. In one 2015 video, a 17-year-old boy was hooded, shackled to a restraint chair and left alone for two hours.
The court’s decision came a day after video footage emerged of a Sydney police officer kicking an Aboriginal teenager’s legs out from underneath him, sending the boy face-first to the ground.
The 16-year-old, who had allegedly first threatened the officer, was treated in hospital for his injuries and the officer has been placed on restricted duties while an investigation is carried out. —