The London-based justice advocacy group CAGE has revealed that the internationally respected biostatistician, Professor Lukman Thalib, has returned to Australia. In addition, after attending his son’s bail hearing at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Professor Thalib was able to put down a surety and secure the release of Ahmed Talib, who had been in solitary confinement for two years. [1]
Professor Thalib is one of the world’s most highly regarded scientists. He has been involved in excess of 400 research projects, and has written over 160 peer-reviewed publications. Originally from Sri Lanka, the educator completed his MSc and PhD in the United Kingdom. He is a grandfather of nine.
A father of eight, Ahmed Talib’s prosecution on terrorism charges has been linked to Professor Thalib’s Qatar detention and torture.
Concerning Ahmed Talib’s case, an Australian judge previously criticised the Australian Federal Police for its disastrous “prejudiced” handling of “religious defendants”. [2]
Life turned upside down
In the tail end of July 2020, Professor Thalib and Ismail Talib (another of his four children) were detained by Qatari authorities, and held “incommunicado” for 37 days.
A CAGE press release noted in December 2020,
“Australian nationals, Dr. Lukman Thalib, and his son Ismail Talib, have been arbitrarily detained and tortured in Qatar since 27 July 2020. They were held incommunicado for 37 days and have not been given access to legal representation.
“In addition to being held without charge or trial, they have been interrogated, enduring cruel and inhumane treatment, including sleep deprivation, temperature exposure, and being restrained in painful stress positions, all of which is in violation of international law against torture.
“The subsequent arrest of Dr. Thalib’s other son, Ahmed, in Australia, along with the interrogation of his extended family members in Sri Lanka, appear to be part of a co-ordinated operation against the family across three continents.” [3]
Ranked in top 2% of world scientists
Named by the prestigious Stanford University of California as falling into the world’s top two per cent of scientists in 2022, Professor Thalib is presently a faculty member at the Department of Medical Sciences, Istanbul Aydın University, Türkiye.
Furthermore, the 60-year-old educator has held distinguished positions at the Department of Public Health and the Scientific Reference and Research Task Force in Qatar, as well as a teaching position at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
“A welcome relief”
Commenting on the return of the professor to his family, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE, Anas Mustapha, said,
“The return of Professor Lukman to Australia and the release of his son on bail, will provide a welcome relief for the family after two traumatic years.
“The Australian authorities will now be facing tough questions about the extent they had been complicit in the arrest and torture of Professor Thalib.
“This is more pressing as there are lingering concerns that torture evidence may have contributed to the arrest of his son, Ahmed Talib.”
Mustapha further noted regarding Ahmed Talib’s hugely controversial detention,
“It is a shocking violation of a person’s right to freedom that nearly two years on from Ahmed Talib’s arrest, the prosecution case is still seriously lacking.
“This will do little to allay the concerns of the Thalib family, that they have been targets of a collective punishment.” [1]
Professor Thalib has spoken of being “very pleased” that his son “has come home where he deserves to be, with his family and eight children”. [1]
In remarks shared on CAGE’s website, he added,
“Our family will not stop anywhere short of achieving justice for all the defamation and violations against our fundamental rights.
“I was pleased to witness Justice Peter Davis make very strong remarks about how unfair the whole process of my son’s arrest and detention has been.
“On behalf of my son and family, we would like to thank CAGE immensely for their unwavering support and guidance. May Allah bless their efforts always.” [1]
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://www.cage.ngo/tortured-man-returns-to-australia
[2] https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/judge-slams-terror-prosecution-how-does-this-government-do-that-to-its-citizens-20220218-p59xu9.html
[3] https://www.cage.ngo/case-profile-professor-dr-lukman-thalib-and-ismail-talib
