How NZ Customs is treating friends of Kim Dotcom
19
January, 2015
Tweet
from 2 hours ago…
Welcome
to the new Police State under John Key and his National
Party Goons.
Remember,
New Zealanders voted for this.
Sarah Torrent was quizzed for seven hours at Auckland Airport yesterday after she told officials she would be staying at the mansion of Kim Dotcom.
Third
degree for guests of Dotcom trying to enter New Zealand
Customs
detain and quiz arrivals who give internet tycoon’s mansion as NZ
address
20
January 2015
Welcome
to New Zealand - unless you're here to see Kim Dotcom.
That
seems to be the message for those arriving in the country after yet
another guest visiting the businessman was detained by the Customs
Service for hours.
A
connection to the accused copyright pirate has been linked on another
occasion with a long stay in a detention room - and a lot of strange
questions.
Graphic
designer Sarah Torrent, 22, spent seven hours being quizzed by
officials after landing in New Zealand yesterday and telling border
officials she was staying at Dotcom's house.
She
had met Dotcom online and he invited her to travel to New Zealand for
a holiday.
Dotcom
said more than a dozen visitors have been isolated by the Customs
Service after declaring his home address for their stay in New
Zealand.
The
Herald has previously written
about Hollywood documentary maker Donovan Leitch being detained in
2012 when visiting to discuss making a movie of Dotcom's case, and
about the strip search of Joia Stewart, girlfriend of musician Deryk
"Sleep Deez" Mitchell, who was working on his music album.
Dotcom
called the hours of questioning an "interrogation".
"Whenever
I have visitors who are truthful about where they are staying, it is
always the same. They are harassing these people. It shines a really
bad light on New Zealand."
Ms
Torrent said she told border officials she was planning on staying at
Dotcom's and was instantly led away to be questioned.
She
said questions included the nature of her relationship with Dotcom,
whether she knew why he was not perceived in a positive light and
what the pair had talked about.
She
was also told to surrender passwords to her laptop and phone for
curious border agents.
Ms
Torrent claimed she was warned that refusal to hand over the
passwords voluntarily meant she would lose her equipment and it would
be breached anyway.
"The
forensic people will have their way with it," she said she was
told.
"I
don't have anything to worry about - I haven't done anything,"
she said. "I think they just totally wasted their time."
A
Customs spokeswoman said the service would not comment on individual
cases. In previous cases, in which comment was made, it came after a
privacy waiver from the individual - a step the Herald
is pursuing with Ms Torrent.
In
the case of Ms Stewart, Customs said she was not detained because of
her connection with Dotcom.
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