Banned U.S. Journalist, Leah McGrath Goodman, Update.

U.S. author and Investigative Journalist, Leah McGrath Goodman, who was banned from entering the UK and Jersey after it became apparent she was investigating the Child Abuse, and possible murder, at Jersey "care" home Haut de la Garenne STILL remains banned. Jersey Immigration has finally admitted, according to Ms Goodman, that the "writers Visa" she was advised to apply for (by Jersey Immigration) doesn't exist! 

Regular readers will be aware that after learning of Ms Goodman's ban and appalling treatment she was allegedly subjected to at the hands of the UK Border Agency and Jersey Immigration, local politician Deputy Trevor Pitman, launched an online petition to raise awareness of Ms Goodman's plight and hopefully bring pressure on the agencies to do the right thing and allow her to continue her work and issue her a visa that DOES exist.

Leah McGrath Goodman has updated her story to the signatories of her/Deputy Trevor Pitman's petition and we re-produce it here.

Jersey Update from Leah McGrath Goodman:

It has been just over a month and the island of Jersey is keenly aware of the progress of this petition...so please keep it coming. It is having immense impact. I am with all of you in spirit, although as yet I am still not allowed back in the UK...

Right now, several UK newspapers and media outlets are in touch amid the Jimmy Savile scandal, as revelations emerge daily of his abusing children at the very same Jersey orphanage I am investigating -- Haut de la Garenne.

This lends a great deal of credence the victims' (previously ignored) testimonies of appalling crimes committed at Haut de la Garenne against children across decades by the rich and privileged -- islanders as well as visitors such as Savile.

One reporter for a major London daily told me, "We have been asking ourselves for days why the press did nothing about this...Now that I hear your story about how you were kicked out of the country for investigating it, I know." Jersey's police has stated that it received complaints of Savile's acts against children but did not charge him due to "insufficient evidence." (It remains to be seen what evidence would be sufficient on an island that has no sex offenders registry.)

By not stopping Savile, the authorities effectively stepped aside and allowed him to continue preying on children until his death. The UK now likes to refer to these matters as "in the past" or "historic" or "it happened in a different era."

Really? In Jersey, people accused of horrific crimes against children are still enjoying high-ranking government posts in health and education -- in other words, close to defenseless children. We know their names and we know what they did according to their accusers. But they have never been charged.

Why? In Jersey, if the Attorney General does not agree to apprehend a person, the police cannot apprehend him. There is no appealing that decision. Neat, huh?

Regarding my plight, Jersey Immigration has stated I am quite welcome to return to the island, provided I get a non-existent "Writer's visa." Yes, this visa does not exist. This week, they finally admitted there is no form for such a visa. We are still awaiting a coherent answer as to what they now advise me to do.

While it is hard to believe any of these things could happen in a Western democracy -- let alone on an island that answers to the Queen -- what might be even harder to believe is that so many people have been trampled so many times in trying to effect lasting change, the vast majority of them have given up. After what I have seen, I don't blame them.

But the truth must come out. Help us keep the pressure on and pass this along to a few more people, if you have a chance. Those of you from Jersey, hang in there. For those of you from elsewhere, this is a beautiful island with truly amazing people. It does not deserve anything less than safety for its children -- and the truth.

Hope this finds you and your families well -- and happy autumn.

Leah.(END)

We ask our readers to support Ms Goodman's struggle with Jersey Immigration and please sign the petition HERE.

We (the good people of Jersey) are sick and tired of Jersey's reputation being dragged through the mud because of a few power crazed nut-cases who are hell bent on keeping the truth buried concerning the horrors that occurred at Haut de la Garenne and other State run institutions on the island .

Banning a Western Journalist from researching the facts will further damage the reputation of this beautiful island which has suffered enough because of a select few.

The victims/survivors of the horrendous Child Abuse deserve to have their story told and Jersey needs to show the world's stage that it is willing to face up to its failings.......Please sign the petition.

#FreeJersey: Please Help Us Restore Democracy To Our Beautiful Island.

Today is not a day to focus on right-wing versus left-wing politics, but the difference between right and wrong. 

When a democratic government abuses its substantial legal, legislative and financial powers to crack down on journalists’ freedom of speech, force policemen and elected officials from their jobs and systemically dismantle its own checks and balances so as to deny each of its targets due process, clearly it is a government that has lost its way.

Jersey, the jewel in the crown of the Channel Islands, may be one of the world's leading offshore financial centres, but it has begun to use its clout against its own people – and it is keeping the rest of its population in the dark about it. This is now a place where court and legislative records – those that are public anyway – can now be redacted. This is an island where secret trials are now allegedly taking place and elected officials are forced to debate key issues in secret. Web content is banned and journalists booted out. This is not the way a democratic government is supposed to be run.

Again, this is not about politics. It is about standing up for truth, honesty and integrity. It is about restoring the good name of our beautiful island whose reputation has been dragged through the mud by those attempting to cover-up the facts surrounding some of the most heinous crimes known to man – crimes of violence against children. Crimes the vast majority of islanders would never defend, yet most of those who stand accused of committing them have not been brought to justice and continue to walk among us and our children. Worse, these alleged perpetrators remain entrenched in some of the very highest echelons of Jersey’s government – working in departments that focus on children! It is beyond comprehensible.

On an island where children in need of care have been let down by the government for decades – and continue to be let down – we cannot afford to ignore or repeat our mistakes. More broadly, challenging the government’s current decisions, particularly when not made in the best interest of the public, should not require bottomless financial resources and friends in high places. We are supposed to be a democracy, right?

With our checks and balances hamstrung, the international and independent media may be our last chance at reclaiming our democracy and re-establishing rule of law.

Today, Jersey politician Deputy Trevor Pitman launched an e-petition on Change.org in support of the return of U.S. investigative journalist and author, Leah McGrath Goodman, to the island to continue her research into decades of child abuse at Jersey’s state-run “care” homes and allegations of cover-ups in the wake of the government’s removal of the chief of police and shut-down of the entire investigation.

One year ago today, Ms. Goodman was banned from the UK and Jersey for two years after revealing to the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service during a voluntary meeting that she was writing a book on atrocities against children at Haut de la Garenne. According to the UK Border Force, she was flagged by Jersey Immigration authorities for removal upon her next border crossing – and that is exactly what happened. After the intervention of UK Member of Parliament John Hemming, the ban was reduced to one year and it expires today, 11 September 2012. That said, the UK and Jersey have so far declined to restore Ms. Goodman’s visa or allow her cross the border to continue her research. In order to do so safely, she will need to have her Tier -1 visa status fully restored – hence, the reason for Deputy Pitman’s e-petition today.

Leah McGrath Goodman should be permitted to complete her work in order that there is an accurate record based on the available facts and evidence. Jersey needs to confront the failings of its past so it can redress them and, most of all, ensure the safety of our children’s future.

We ask readers who care about the island’s children, who care about the island’s reputation, who believe in a free press and who want the truth to be told to sign Deputy Pitman’s e-petition. We also ask fellow bloggers to copy and paste this blog onto their own Web sites so that we may show the world that Jersey wants the best for its future and its children. It is time to leave our island’s culture of secrecy behind and demand the kind of free and open society our island deserves. Those who would do otherwise are not representative of the majority of islanders.

Please spread the word and sign this petition (ten seconds). The Internet is the one thing Jersey authorities have not been able to lock down.....yet! The petition can be signed HERE

For those who tweet this campaign, please use the #FreeJersey hashtag. While Jersey may try to keep journalists out, it cannot keep us for letting the truth in.