Enemy of the State: The Ahmed Zaoui File

The New Zealand Herald
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What do you do when the state locks you in jail and calls you a terrorist - but refuses to say why? For the first time John Keir reveals the inside story of the fight to free New Zealand’s highest-profile political prisoner Ahmed Zaoui, from the man himself and the lawyers who took on the Prime Minister and the SIS to save him.

Episodes

  1. Trailer

    07/22/2021

    Trailer

    What do you do when the state locks you in jail and calls you a terrorist - but refuses to say why? For the first time John Keir reveals the inside story of the fight to free New Zealand’s highest-profile political prisoner Ahmed Zaoui, from the man himself and the lawyers who took on the Prime Minister and the SIS to save him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1 min
  2. Chapter 1: The Fugitive

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 1: The Fugitive

    When Algerian fugitive Ahmed Zaoui arrives in New Zealand on a false passport just before Christmas 2002 and asks for asylum, it sparks a five-year security scandal, leading two young immigration lawyers Deborah Manning and Richard McLeod into conflict with the Government, the secretive SIS and international spy agencies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min
  3. Chapter 2: Big Fish

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 2: Big Fish

    In a post-9/11 world, Ahmed Zaoui’s arrival immediately thrusts New Zealand into the US-led War on Terror, and he is locked up in solitary confinement. The problem for his defence team is that the SIS refuses to reveal its evidence that Zaoui is a danger to national security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min
  4. Chapter 3: A Rock in the Road

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 3: A Rock in the Road

    The Ahmed Zaoui case is a test for Helen Clark’s Labour Government, as she has already refused to allow New Zealand to be part of the American ‘coalition of the willing’ invasion of Iraq. Now her government is under pressure to show the country’s commitment to the fight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
  5. Chapter 4: Fighting Windmills

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 4: Fighting Windmills

    Even when Zaoui wins refugee status, the SIS still argues he is a threat to our national security – and won’t say why. Things get more complicated when a retired judge set to hear Zaoui’s case gives a magazine interview…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min
  6. Chapter 5: The Tipping Point

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 5: The Tipping Point

    Zaoui becomes a hero when he is transferred from solitary confinement to Mt Eden Prison, where some inmates believe he is a friend of Osama bin Laden. Meanwhile, the stress of the case has an impact on his lawyer Deborah Manning’s personal life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min
  7. Chapter 6: Crescent and Cross

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 6: Crescent and Cross

    Zaoui gets bail and is given sanctuary with a houseful of Catholic priests in central Auckland – but his lawyer worries he will be framed again. Meanwhile, Stuart Grieve QC enters the picture as a ‘special advocate’ with security clearance to see the top-secret SIS material.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min
  8. Chapter 7: Playing Detective

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 7: Playing Detective

    Deborah Manning decides that if the SIS won’t reveal their evidence, then she will find it independently by travelling to Europe to penetrate the secret world of the European security agencies. There she comes across a shadowy figure who will change everything.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min
  9. Chapter 8: Dirty Tricks

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 8: Dirty Tricks

    Finally, the hearing to review Ahmed Zaoui’s security risk certificate is scheduled for July 2007. Deborah Manning’s secret witness flies into New Zealand and Ahmed Zaoui comes face to face with the man who destroyed his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min
  10. Chapter 9: The Backdown

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 9: The Backdown

    Deborah Manning produces her star witness but runs into an unexpected obstacle. Eventually as the SIS case crumbles, Zaoui wins not just his freedom but a private moment of vindication.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min
  11. Chapter 10: Postscript

    08/01/2021

    Chapter 10: Postscript

    Zaoui is finally free to enjoy life in New Zealand and be reunited with his wife and children. Then he gets a mysterious offer to return to Algeria. Narrator John Keir reflects on what Zaoui’s story tells us about ourselves as a country and about the two remarkable women who faced off against each other, Deborah Manning and Helen Clark.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min

  12. 10/31/2023

    Update: The New Charges

    Two years ago, this podcast concluded with a happy ending, and a hopeful outlook, for Ahmed Zaoui and his family. But earlier this month, that all changed after Ahmed was arrested in his home country of Algeria, and now faces serious charges that include the death penalty as a possible punishment. John Keir returns for this new episode of Enemy of the State, joined once again by lawyer Deborah Manning to discuss what this all means for Ahmed.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    32 min

Trailer

About

What do you do when the state locks you in jail and calls you a terrorist - but refuses to say why? For the first time John Keir reveals the inside story of the fight to free New Zealand’s highest-profile political prisoner Ahmed Zaoui, from the man himself and the lawyers who took on the Prime Minister and the SIS to save him.

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