The Free Speech Union (FSU) says today’s decision granting permanent name suppression to the teenager found to have committed the fatal attack on security guard Ramandeep Singh at Royal Reserve in Massey raises profound questions about open justice and the public’s right to know.

“Permanent suppression in a homicide case, particularly where the court has confirmed the individual’s involvement, means New Zealanders will never know who was responsible for this tragedy,” says Jillaine Heather, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. “Victims, media, and the wider community are gagged from discussing facts that are squarely in the public interest.”

Jillaine Heather says the ruling reflects a justice system that appears to increasingly prioritise the offender’s future over the public’s freedom to scrutinise the process and the media’s important role as the fourth estate.

“Open justice isn’t a slogan; it’s how the public tests whether the system is fair. Transparency should be the default. Secrecy should only be used when it is clearly justified and increasingly, it isn’t.”

“Recent cases show a pattern that should alarm every New Zealander,” Heather said. “We’ve seen the ‘super-injunction’ suppressing reporting of the inappropriate use of Jevon McSkimming’s work computer, and suppression of the sexual abuse allegations against him. We’ve seen the 29-year-old who vandalised Winston Peters’ office granted interim suppression. And let’s not forget the permanent name suppression granted to a member of a wealthy family convicted of possessing and importing thousands of images of extreme child sexual abuse; speculation continues to impact the reputations and lives of entirely innocent people.”

“Name suppression is a speech restriction. It limits what citizens can lawfully say and what journalists can report. As courts stretch suppression further and further, trust in the justice system erodes and when trust erodes, accountability collapses. And New Zealand’s law enforcement and justice system can hardly afford to lose more of the public’s trust.”

“Rehabilitation matters. But it cannot be treated as the enemy of transparency. New Zealand deserves a justice system that protects the vulnerable, not one that shields offenders from public scrutiny.”

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