Stephen Keim
Encyclopedia
Stephen Keim, SC
is a Brisbane
barrister
who represented India
n-born doctor Mohamed Haneef
in his application for judicial review
of a decision to revoke his Australian visa
. Keim is notable for his strongly-principled though controversial actions throughout his successful conduct of the case, coming to public prominence by leaking to Hedley Thomas of The Australian
the 142 page transcript of an interview of Haneef by the Australian Federal Police
shortly after Haneef had been arrested on 2 July 2007.
Keim defended his actions publicly in an interview on 18 July, stating that
Keim's actions drew sharp criticism from then-Prime Minister
John Howard
and then-Attorney-General Philip Ruddock
. Keim was also the subject of disciplinary complaints brought against him by the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police
Mick Keelty
, and a Brisbane solicitor, Russell Biddle, for having leaked the transcript. At the time Keim received strong support from within the legal profession.
On 1 February 2008 Keim was cleared of the complaints by the Legal Services Commission, who, although having found that Keim had committed a technical breach of one of the rules relating to barrister's conduct, the circumstances were such that Keim ought to be exonerated. The Commission stated further that it was in the "public interest" that the complaints be dismissed. Keim responded by stating that "whether I was going to be punished, reprimanded, or struck off, I had that inner confidence that it was an honest call that I made at the time and I did the best I could."
On 19 January 2008, Keim and Peter Russo, Haneef's solicitor, were made The Weekend Australian's Australians of the Year for 2007. On 10 December 2009, Keim was awarded the Human Rights Medal for 2009 by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In announcing the award, Commission President Cathy Branson QC noted: “Stephen’s efforts throughout his life have been both bold and brave, with one high profile instance being his assiduous efforts undertaken at personal cost in 2007 when he represented Dr Haneef."
In 2010, Keim was elected as the President of the Australian human rights advocacy NGO, the Australian lawyers for human rights.
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
is a Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
who represented India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n-born doctor Mohamed Haneef
Mohamed Haneef
Muhamed Haneef is an Indian doctor who was wrongly accused of aiding terrorists, and left Australia upon cancellation of his visa amid great political controversy....
in his application for judicial review
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
of a decision to revoke his Australian visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
. Keim is notable for his strongly-principled though controversial actions throughout his successful conduct of the case, coming to public prominence by leaking to Hedley Thomas of The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
the 142 page transcript of an interview of Haneef by the Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
shortly after Haneef had been arrested on 2 July 2007.
Keim defended his actions publicly in an interview on 18 July, stating that
I felt really that I had no option because the public are engaged in a very important debate with regard to what the Government has done with regard to my client, and I felt that it was very important in the first instance to relate - release that document to journalists so that the evidence on which that action is being taken is available to the public, so that they can conduct that debate on real evidence and not some skewed form or view of evidence.
Keim's actions drew sharp criticism from then-Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
and then-Attorney-General Philip Ruddock
Philip Ruddock
Philip Maxwell Ruddock is an Australian politician who is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Berowra, New South Wales, for the Liberal Party of Australia...
. Keim was also the subject of disciplinary complaints brought against him by the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
Mick Keelty
Mick Keelty
Michael Joseph "Mick" Keelty AO APM , Australian police officer, was the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police from 2001 to 2009...
, and a Brisbane solicitor, Russell Biddle, for having leaked the transcript. At the time Keim received strong support from within the legal profession.
On 1 February 2008 Keim was cleared of the complaints by the Legal Services Commission, who, although having found that Keim had committed a technical breach of one of the rules relating to barrister's conduct, the circumstances were such that Keim ought to be exonerated. The Commission stated further that it was in the "public interest" that the complaints be dismissed. Keim responded by stating that "whether I was going to be punished, reprimanded, or struck off, I had that inner confidence that it was an honest call that I made at the time and I did the best I could."
On 19 January 2008, Keim and Peter Russo, Haneef's solicitor, were made The Weekend Australian's Australians of the Year for 2007. On 10 December 2009, Keim was awarded the Human Rights Medal for 2009 by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In announcing the award, Commission President Cathy Branson QC noted: “Stephen’s efforts throughout his life have been both bold and brave, with one high profile instance being his assiduous efforts undertaken at personal cost in 2007 when he represented Dr Haneef."
In 2010, Keim was elected as the President of the Australian human rights advocacy NGO, the Australian lawyers for human rights.