The judge in charge of the deportation hearing of Novak Djokovic He asked on Monday what else the tennis player could have done to meet Australia’s harsh entry requirements, which gave the star athlete some slight hope.
At the online court hearing, Judge Anthony Kelly listened to extensive legal arguments before intervening in defense of the 34-year-old, who arrived to play the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Kelly maintained that Djokovic provided evidence from “an eminently qualified doctor and professor” about his medical exemption to enter Australia without being vaccinated against covid-19. “What else could this man have done?” The judge questioned.
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Technical problems in the transmission of the audience
The hearing was repeatedly suspended when the court’s internet fell due to the huge number of people connected.
The Serbian tennis player had his visa revoked when he arrived in Australia last week for failing to present proof of vaccination against covid-19 or some medical reason for not being inoculated. He spent the last nights in a migrant detention center in Melbourne, where he is expected to follow his lawyers’ arguments online to get the federal court to allow him to remain in Australia.
His lawyers pointed out that a recent contagion of covid-19 allows the tennis player to have an exception in the severe entry requirements to Australia, and that his visa was wrongly canceled.
The Czech tennis player Renata voracova She also had her visa canceled and left Australia on Saturday after being detained in the same facility where Djokovic is being held.
The Australian Open begins on January 17 and the participation of the nine-time winner of the tournament depends on the decision of Judge Kelly.
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The requirements to enter Australia in the pandemic
Most foreigners are barred from entering Australia, and permit holders must be fully vaccinated or receive a medical exemption. Government lawyers rejected Djokovic’s arguments, noting that he does not meet medical criteria because his recent COVID-19 infection was not “serious.”
They will seek to have the judge reject the appeal, according to the 13-page document submitted to the court, opening the way for their deportation as soon as Monday night passes.
Djokovic assures that he tested positive for the coronavirus on December 16, but photos shared by the Belgrade tennis federation show him at an event for young players in that city on the 17th. The tennis player would have handed out trophies and prizes to the players and no one appears with mask.
Djokovic also attended a meeting on December 16 when the Serbian postal service released a series of stamps honoring the tennis player. –
Djokovic was expected to watch the audience from the migrant center, a former five-story hotel where some 32 people are being held under the rules of the drastic Australian immigration system.
Protesters and counter-protesters have spent days gathering in front of the facility. The center became known last year when a fire forced migrants to evacuate, and maggots were reportedly found in the food.
Hours before the hearing, a banner in defense of the refugees was displayed from the roof and the police evicted a small group of protesters at the site.
Meanwhile, in a march in Belgrade, the tennis player’s mother, Dijana, assured that her son remains “in inhuman conditions.”
“They detained him and they don’t even give him breakfast, he only receives lunch and dinner,” the mother was quoted as saying by local media. “It doesn’t even have a window, just a wall,” he added.
His lawyers claim that the tennis player asked to go to a place where he could train but has been ignored.
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The Serbian government’s support for Djokovic
The Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, He noted at the weekend that his country fully supports the tennis player and was able to get him gluten-free food, exercise equipment and a computer.
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s lawyers told the court that their client needs a response to his request to stay in Australia by Tuesday as he must prepare for the Australian Open. The draw for the clashes will take place on Thursday. But Judge Kelly insisted that justice will proceed at its normal pace during appeals.
Tennis Australia director Craig Tiley defended his organization against criticism that it did not alert players that a previous infection does not allow them to enter without being vaccinated against covid-19.
He indicated that he asked the government to review the medical exemptions before the arrival of the players, but that they “declined.”
Meanwhile, much of Australia tightens sanitary restrictions to contain an outbreak of infections caused by the omicron variant. The country is approaching 100,000 cases a day after being free of the virus for much of the pandemic.
SPORTS
With AFP
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