NZ woman detained in US may be released this week, says father
He started to get properly concerned when he heard they had flown Shaw and Isaac to Texas, to the nearest detainment centre which accommodates families.
The children on the way to Canada, excited to see their grandparents. Photo / Supplied
The conditions had been difficult for them both.
Her friend Victoria Besancon previously told RNZ the detention facility was 'very similar to a prison'.
'She is in a locked room with five bunk beds, she is allowed to walk around the facility from 8am to 8pm, but outside of that she is locked in a cell with other families.'
But Price said among the detainees, they were the lucky ones. His daughter spoke English as a first language and had access to good lawyers – even if the logistics involved in contacting them were a little complicated.
Her lawyer Minda Thorward told RNZ: 'I cannot call her, she can only call me, and then I have to be available to receive the call and press one to allow the call to come through. So communication is a little bit of an issue.'
Besancon has been appointed power of attorney, making logistics a little easier.
The past week had brought a big increase in media coverage and pressure from Washington state officials, and staff from the New Zealand embassy had made contact with Shaw, after learning of her case from reports in the media.
Besancon said it was making a difference. 'They started really changing the way they've been speaking with her legal representation.'
And Price said they were feeling optimistic.
'There's a 90% chance that she's going to be out Thursday, which is our Friday, 3pm. She's so confident that she's already booked a flight back to Seattle.'
If that did not go to plan, a court date was locked in for August 29, in which Shaw would have the opportunity to fight for her release in front of a judge.
Family and friends are pleading for the release of a Kiwi mother of three and her 6-year-old son after they were detained by US immigration. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, her other two children, aged 8 and 10, were enjoying sunny Whangaparāoa, although they were anxious for their mum, Price said.
'Ah, the young fella, it's just water off a duck's back, but my granddaughter is – she won't outright say it – but you know, you can tell by their actions and their concern and questions.'
He said the children would be staying with him until there was someone to meet them at the other end.
- RNZ
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
36 minutes ago
- RNZ News
UN letter: PM firm with ministers on who should be sending responses
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has made it "pretty clear" to his ministers how they should handle correspondence with the United Nations, as the coalition's letter-writing saga drags on. Appearing at his post-Cabinet media conference on Monday, Luxon was pressed on RNZ's revelations that Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith had been consulted before David Seymour issued a forthright reply to the UN in July. "I'm not going to get into that," Luxon told RNZ. "We've canvassed that before." Luxon reiterated his "very clear position" that Winston Peters, as foreign minister, was responsible for coordinating all responses to the UN. Asked what it said about his Cabinet that multiple ministers appeared to misunderstand that process, Luxon was blunt. "It's pretty clear to them now," he said. "I've made it pretty clear." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii However, new correspondence - as reported by RNZ on Saturday - show Seymour's staff stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's preferred approach was actually for a joint reply from "relevant ministers" Seymour, Goldsmith and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The controversy stems from a June letter from UN special rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Albert K Barume, who flagged concerns that Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill excluded Māori traditions and failed to uphold Treaty of Waitangi principles. Seymour, writing as regulations minister, fired back a response in early July, describing the critique as "presumptive, condescending and wholly misplaced" and "an affront to New Zealand's sovereignty". That letter was later withdrawn and both Luxon and Peters publicly rebuked Seymour for bypassing proper process. Peters eventually sent a government-wide response in August , striking a softer tone and expressing regret for the "breakdown in protocol". On Saturday, RNZ revealed new documents, obtained under the Official Information Act, which showed Seymour had run his draft past Goldsmith beforehand and been told his colleague was "happy for us to send it". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
36 minutes ago
- RNZ News
PM skips Coalition of the Willing meeting
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he's joined the meetings in the past. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not dial in to the latest Coalition of the Willing meeting because of time zone differences. French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer co-chaired the virtual meeting about 1am New Zealand time. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky also joined the talks, that focused on support for Ukraine and next steps in peace negotiations. It follows United States President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska a few days ago. Coalition of the Willing leaders commended Trump's commitment to providing security guarantees to Ukraine. Macron and Starmer also told the group they would travel to Washington DC on Tuesday to meet with President Trump alongside Zelensky. Speaking at his weekly post Cabinet media conference Monday afternoon, Luxon confirmed he did not attend Monday morning's meeting. "I have tried to make them, wherever possible. This one was at 1am in the morning. It goes for two or three hours and then I'm on a media round this morning and obviously down here for Cabinet this morning as well." He rejected suggestions he did not join the Coalition of the Willing meeting because he didn't think it was important enough. "I have joined in the past. I was just saying that basically the decision was made that I was going to be well represented by officials in this particular instance. "But I have joined the calls many, many times before and I'll continue to do so." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the prime minister had been invited to the virtual meeting but was unable to attend due to time zone differences. "New Zealand was instead represented at the meeting by officials," they said. "While we have participated in discussions, we haven't agreed or committed New Zealand to any particular action. We have made no commitments at this point. "Any considerations about further New Zealand commitments would be a decision of the Cabinet."
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Soldier caught in sting handing over sensitive info
By Jimmy Ellingham of RNZ A soldier with links to far-right groups has admitted handing over and attempting to hand over sensitive military information to a person he thought was a foreign agent. But the soldier was actually caught in an undercover sting. He also possessed a video of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks and the attacker's manifesto, The Great Replacement . At a court martial at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North today, the soldier, whose name is suppressed on a temporary basis, admitted one charge each of attempted espionage, dishonestly accessing a computer system and possessing an objectionable publication. The name of the foreign country the undercover agent said they were representing is suppressed. The charges The attempted espionage charge dates to between December 5 and 12 in 2019, when the soldier attempted to hand information to the undercover agent he thought represented a foreign country. That information was likely to prejudice the security and defence of New Zealand, according to the wording of the charge. The soldier handed over phone directories for Linton Military Camp, Burnham Military Camp, Trentham Military Camp and the Hokowhitu campus in Palmerston North, as well as for the Messines Defence Centre. The latter document is classified. He also attempted to hand over maps and an annotated photo of Linton Military camp; a document setting out Linton's security vulnerabilities; his own ID card; access codes and information allowing for unauthorised access to Linton and Ohakea air base; and his name and passwords, which allowed unauthorised access to the Defence Force system. On December 12 in 2019, the soldier accessed this system for dishonest reasons. He obtained property, maps, images and phone directories. This included a map and phone directory of Woodbourne air base; a map of an ammunition depot at Kauri Point in Auckland; an aerial photo of a navy ship; and aerial photos and a phone director from Whenuapai air base in Auckland. On December 16 that year he possessed a recording of the Christchurch mosque attack, which is a restricted publication, and the attacker's manifesto. First of its kind This is the first military prosecution for espionage or attempted espionage. Fifty years ago, in the civilian court, Bill Sutch was acquitted on charges relating to his alleged passing of information to the Russians. In late 2020, charges under the Armed Forces Discipline Act were laid against the soldier, including espionage and possessing objectionable material. A long period of pre-trial hearings then followed. The 17 charges were withdrawn in March and replaced with the three charges the soldier initially admitted in March, before confirming those pleas before Judge Kevin Riordan and a military panel today. The military panel accepted the guilty pleas and will decide the soldier's sentence. RNZ has previously reported the soldier, aged 27 at the time of his arrest, was a member of far-right groups the Dominion Movement and Action Zealandia. Undercover sting When the soldier moved into his home at Linton Military Camp, he found a bag that included classified information. The solder in 2019 came to the attention of authorities for reasons including his desire to defect. After the Christchurch mosque attacks on March 15, 2019, police spoke to the soldier twice about his involvement in the New Zealand identitarian movement, which is concerned with preserving white European identity. He denied the group was anything other than a community-based organisation. He was contacted by an undercover officer purporting to represent the foreign country on November 20 and the pair met the next day. The soldier handed over a document he was asked to prepare outlining how he could help the foreign country. At the undercover agent's request he sent a further document on November 23 with more information about how he could help. The agent contacted him three days later asking he prepare documents for them and on November 28 he handed over Defence Force material and a handbook. He said he could get further documents, such as maps and photos. The agent and the soldier spoke more on December 2 and on December 5 he handed over the phone directories, then in coming days attempted to hand over further information.
