The wife of a former US marine pilot choked back tears as she slammed the “terrible injustice” that has kept her husband in isolation in an Australian prison for more than nine months.
Daniel Edmund Duggan has been in custody since October last year after the US indicated it would request his extradition for charges of conspiracy, arms trafficking and money laundering.
On Tuesday, his wife Saffrine Duggan stood outside Sydney Downing Centre Court with the couple’s six children amid a crowd of protesters holding signs demanding Mr Duggan’s release.
“Not only are we standing up for a loving husband, a father, and a friend – we’re standing up for Australian sovereignty,” she said over a megaphone.
“We are all determined to fight this terrible injustice and to demand that Australian sovereignty is respected in Australia.”
She told the crowd her husband had been detained in solitary confinement for more than nine months, even though he had no criminal record and was not charged with any Australian offences.
US authorities allege the 54-year-old breached money laundering and arms export control laws while teaching foreign pilots.
The former US marine corps aviator allegedly trained Chinese military pilots while working at an international flying academy more than 10 years ago.
He is also accused of breaching US arms control laws by instructing pilots on how to land on an aircraft carrier.
The US authorities allege he was paid thousands of dollars for his expertise but had not sought US approval to teach foreign pilots.
Mr Duggan has repeatedly denied the allegations, which have not been tested in court.
“Dan was kidnapped after dropping our beautiful children off to school with a cake in his hand for the school fete,” Mrs Duggan said as she choked back tears.
“We all should be very worried about what’s happening.”
She explained the US bid to extradite her husband had had a “horrendous” toll on her family and their children, who have “all been terribly torn apart”.
“We are saddened, we’re mortified, we’re horrified that something like this could happen. Not only to us but to anyone,” Mrs Duggan said in her emotional address to the crowd.
“We all need to stand up and stop it and let him free. Let him come home to us where he belongs.”
The peaceful protesters held signs declaring Mr Duggan was a “political prisoner in solitary” confinement at Lithgow Correctional Centre and demanding his release.
“Let him go!” read a sign held by the couple’s young son, while another proclaimed “I love you” under a rainbow.
As the court prepared to hear part of her husband’s case, Mrs Duggan gave a stirring endorsement for action in her husband’s own words.
“It takes a certain brave relentless persistence to push back and ultimately overcome such abuses of power and today we are the brave ones,” she quoted.
Mr Duggan’s legal team appeared in the Local Court on Tuesday to fight for a temporary stay on the US efforts to extradite Mr Duggan to North America.
The international tug of war took a surprising turn in March when Australia’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) confirmed it had launched a formal inquiry into the case.
The investigation will assess the circumstances of Mr Duggan’s arrest after his legal team raised concerns the former fighter pilot had been lured back to Australia to be arrested.
On Tuesday, high-profile barrister Bret Walker SC applied for the US extradition to be put on hold until the IGIS investigation is complete.
He argued that material gathered during the inquiry would prove that the alleged offence was politically motivated, a classification that would allow Australia to refuse Mr Duggan’s extradition request.
The court was told the information would include expert analyses of foreign policy and the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the US and China in the years since Mr Duggan taught flying.
Mr Walker said he was unable to estimate how long it would take the national security agency watchdog to complete its investigation.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss will hear the arguments on Tuesday afternoon after reading extensive submissions from Mr Duggan’s legal team and representatives for the US.
He foreshadowed adjourning his decision until another day, which would mean more time in solitary confinement for Mr Duggan.
The 54-year-old had been living in Orange, in Central West NSW, with his wife and six children when he was arrested. He had renounced his US citizenship years earlier to become an Australian citizen.