The Federal Court of Australia is currently analyzing an appeal filed by the lawyers of the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic against the government’s decision to cancel his visa for the second time and deport him.
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The hearing, which began after 5:30 pm (Colombian time) is before three judges: the president of the Supreme Court, James Allsop, Judge Anthony Besanko and Judge David O’Callaghan.
Nick Wood, Djokovic’s lawyer, began the defense by focusing on the reasons why Immigration Minister Alex Hawke revoked the Serbian tennis player’s visa.
Wood claims that a great man’s reputation is being damaged and that his absence from the tournament could fuel anti-vaccine sentiment.
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The defense addresses the issue of Djokovic’s positive and when he admitted that he went to the interview with L’Equipe knowing that he had already tested positive. He argues that the tennis player always remained more than two meters away and said he had not removed his mask for the interview.
The defense attorney has presented his arguments for more than an hour.
It is the turn of the lawyer for the Minister of Immigration, Stephen Lloyd, who argues the reasons why Djokovic should not continue in Australia.
The Immigration Minister’s lawyer insisted that the tennis player’s presence could “encourage people to emulate him” in violation of the measures against covid. “His connections to the cause, whether he likes it or not, are still there and his presence in Australia poses an overwhelming risk,” Hawke’s lawyer said.
The judges pause for lunch.
The trial resumes. The Minister’s defense continues its intervention.
Nick Wood, the tennis player’s lawyer, takes the turn for his reply.
Case Background
Minister Hawke argued that the presence of Djokovic, detained since Saturday in a hotel for immigrants in Melbourne and facing the possibility of being banned from entering the country for three years, could fuel “anti-vaccine sentiment” and lead to the disturbance of public order.
For his part, the defense of the 34-year-old Serbian tennis player, who has not been vaccinated against covid-19 and opposes mandatory immunization, affirms that the minister’s arguments are irrational and will harm “a man of great reputation” who you have a good medical reason not to be vaccinated.
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The case about the entrance to the country of the tennis player, who seeks to participate in the Australian Open to win the tenth trophy of this championship and become the most awarded tennis player in history with 21 Grand Slams, coincides with a spike in infections in the country linked to the omicron variant.
The day before, Djokovic met with his lawyers to analyze the legal strategy of the case before being transferred by the authorities to the Park Hotel, where he was already detained between Wednesday of last week when his visa was revoked for the first time and this Monday when a court released him.
Djokovic traveled to Melbourne from Spain on January 5 with a medical exemption for not being vaccinated due to having recently been infected with covid-19 to play the tournament that begins on Monday and where he plans to face his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.
Australia, which applied one of the toughest policies in the world against the pandemic, which included the closure of its international borders for more than 18 months, only allows the entry of foreigners who have the complete guideline of serum against covid-19 or with a medical exemption for very specific cases.
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